A Comparison Of Hemostatic and Inflammatory Markers In Overt and Non-Overt DIC

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a complex pathophysiologic syndrome with marked alterations in the hemostatic system, which may lead to microvascular thrombosis and multi-organ failure. The International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) classifies DIC into two distinct categories; overt and non-overt DIC (NO). Overt DIC is characterized by a decompensated hemostatic system whereas non-overt is characterized as a stressed, compensated system. DIC is a frequently observed in sepsis patients. An association between the hemostatic aberrations and inflammation has been previously reported. Therefore we studied the level of hemostatic activation and inflammation in patients with sepsis and suspected DIC enrolled in the ART-123, Phase 2b study. The level of inflammatory mediators such as anaphylatoxin C5a (C5a), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and circulating levels of hemostatic markers including protein C inhibitor (PCI), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), and protein C (Pr C) were evaluated in 617 subjects enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase-2b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of recombinant thrombomodulin (ART-123) in subjects with sepsis and suspected DIC. When the subjects with overt DIC and with NO DIC were compared, the PrC level was lower and PCT, PAI-1, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were higher, in the overt DIC subjects (Table). The upregulation of the inflammatory cytokines observed in this study may contribute to the decreased levels of Pr C. Inflammatory cytokines may dysregulate the endothelial thrombomodulin resulting impaired hemostatic regulation. Pr C levels are also low due to consumption and impaired synthesis, especially in the overt DIC patients. These results suggest that profiling these mediators may be useful in the diagnostic and prognostic management of sepsis and differentiation between overt and non-overt DIC.