Another step in improving the diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in sepsis

The diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) based on composite scoring systems using routinely available coagulation tests has been greatly facilitated. Such scoring instruments not only adequately assess the presence of DIC but also have strong prognostic power for morbidity and mortality. In this issue of Critical Care, Gando and colleagues report on the prospective validation of the Japanese Association of Acute Medicine score for DIC in patients with severe sepsis.