What is Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)?
Classics of the RT Cave. This post was originally published March 18, 2008. First off, I worked a bunch of years in the hospital setting before I had a clue what DIC was. I had observed the symptoms many times. I remember many patients, most of them on ventilators, who seemed to be seeping fluid from their pores. Yet I heeded this condition little attention, mainly because I was a newer RT who was intently focused on getting my own work done. Then one day I remember one of our senior therapists told me in report she told the nurses to keep a particular close watch on this trauma patient because he was at high risk for DIC and ARDS. It later turned out she was right, and the patient developed both ARDS and DIC. So, it did not pass me by how this senior was correct in her prediction. I was curious to know what she knew. So I asked her, and she said, "Do some research on DIC, and then get back to me. Do a Google search." She paused, then added, "I think that all therapists ...