Proposal of a two‐step process for the diagnosis of sepsis‐induced disseminated intravascular coagulation

Coagulation disorders are frequent in septic patients and can progress to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).1,2 Mortality increases when septic patients develop DIC2 and because DIC is an independent predictor of mortality,3 specific diagnostic definitions are important. In addition to treating the underlying causes of sepsis by appropriate antibiotics and source control, anticoagulant therapy may benefit some septic patients with coagulopathy.4 The Scientific Standardization Committee (SSC) on DIC of the International Society on Thrombosis Haemostasis (ISTH) published diagnostic criteria for DIC in 2001.