Disseminated intravascular coagulation following cranial trauma

Abstract

✓ Cranial and spinal trauma resulted in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in a 78-year-oldman, causing widespread bleeding and incoagulable blood. Traumatized brain tissue was found in the lumina of dural venous sinuses. The mechanisms of DIC are reviewed. It is suggested that intravascular release ofpotent cerebral thromboplastin contributed to the severity of DIC in this patient, by causing activation of the extrinsic clotting system. Intrasinus brain tissue in cases of human trauma has not previously been reported.