Background: The diagnostic criteria for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) vary and are complicated and the cut-off values are different. Simple and quick diagnostic criteria for DIC are required in physicians for critical care.
Material and methods: Platelet counts, prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) and D-dimer levels were examined in 1293 critical ill patients. Adequate cut-off values of these parameters were determined and a quick DIC score using these biomarkers was proposed. The quick DIC score was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results: Using the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare diagnostic criteria, 70 and 109 patients were diagnosed with DIC and pre-DIC, respectively. The ROC analysis of factors difference between DIC and non-DIC, revealed the following cut-off values: PT-INR, 1.20; platelet count, 12.0 × 1010/L and D-dimer, 10.0 μg/mL. Based on the above results, the quick DIC score system was proposed. All patients with DIC had a quick DIC score of 3, 4 or 5, and 85.3% of the patients with pre-DIC had a quick DIC score of ≥3 points. All patients with pre-DIC had a score of ≥2 points. In the ROC analysis, the area under the curve was 0.997 for DIC vs. non-DIC, and 0.984 for pre-DIC + DIC vs. non-DIC, and the cut-off value was 3 points for DIC and 2 points for DIC + pre-DIC. The quick DIC scores of non-survivors were significantly higher than those of survivors.
Conclusions: The Quick DIC score system is a simple and useful tool that can be used for the diagnosis of DIC and pre-DIC. Further evaluation of the quick DIC score system in a large-scale study is required.
Keywords: D-dimer; DIC; PT-INR; diagnosis; platelet count.