Diagnostic Utility of D-dimer Test in Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation with Sepsis

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC) is a confusing disorder from both a diagnostic and therapeutic standpoint. In order to investigate the effectiveness of D-dimer test in disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with sepsis, D-dimer level and other laboratory tests were performed. METHODS: Fifty patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with sepsis, who were admitted to the department of pediatrics, were evaluated by several tests(total WBC, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, blood culture test, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, fibrin degradation product, and D-dimer). If the test showed abnormal, follow-up study was performed. RESULTS: The positive rate of D-dimer in DIC was 72% and FDP 58%. The false positive rate of D-dimer level in normal children was 3.3% and FDP 6.7%. There was a significant linear correlation between D-dimer and FDP. CONCLUSION: D-dimer test was the most effective test for diagnosing disseminated intravascular coagulation.