A consumptive thrombohemorrhagic disorder. DIC is not a specific disease but a manifestation of a pathologic process. DIC is characterized by a stimulus that is massive, sustained, and/or not neutralized. Accordingly the resulting procoagulant process soon overwhelms physiologic inhibitors and by that leads to free, circulating, unopposed Thrombin and Plasmin, the two key players in DIC. Processes that may lead to DIC include: tissue damage (trauma), neoplasia, infections, and obstetric complications.
