Maybe it's just a brain fart...

[daazy28]

i keep seeing dic in threads and posts. alot in the fact throwing. i feel stupid asking, but what the heck r they talking about? if i try to reply to that thread in particular, it ends up at the very end of the thread. it's a huge one. so that's not gonna help me. like i said, i feel stupid asking, but i'm sure i'll be like :smackingf as soon as i read it! i've racked my brain and i can't recall dic. i'm only an lpn, so maybe it's more of an rn thing? here's 1 place i saw it.

respiratory syncytial virus- contact precautions

systemic lupus erythematosus- butterfly rash on nose and cheek. avoid sunlight

with dic...get worried if you see blood oooze from the iv line. notify doctor

tegratol- tx for seizures..watch for drowsiness, n/v, blurred vision, h/a.

kayexalate- may be ordered for a high potassium level

i know doc is drug of choice. then i was thinkgin dig, but that's not right. help me!! my brain hurts as it is!! lol

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

here you go Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

[daazy28]

here you go Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

Thank you! Now I need to go look that up! With my luck, it'll show up on my boards...LOL

[rn/writer, RN]

DIC is a symptom and, like a fever, can be the result of many different underlying conditions.

In DIC, many small clots begin to form in places where they are not needed. This uses up the body's clotting factor. Then the patient starts to bleed. In severe cases, blood can issue from every orifice until the patient bleeds out.

Here is a link:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec14/ch173/ch173h.html

You can also Google DIC and find a boatload of information.

BTW, the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

BTW, the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask.

Agree, would rather be asked the same question a few times until they understand it than not ask at all

[rn/writer, RN]

One additional thought. DIC can be confusing because it's associated with uncontrolled bleeding. And yet the name mentions clotting. The clotting comes first. Then, when the clotting factor is used up, the bleeding follows.

Hope that helps.