A survey of the current status of neonatal disseminated intravascular coagulation in neonatal intensive care units in Kyushu, Japan

Background: Neonatal disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a rare disease with a poor outcome. However, data on the incidence, treatment, and outcome of neonatal DIC are scarce. Thus, this study investigated the status of neonatal DIC in Japan.

Methods: We sent a retrospective questionnaire-based survey regarding the status of diagnosis and treatment of neonatal DIC from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018, to 30 hospitals in Kyushu with a neonatal-perinatal medicine division. The data collected by the questionnaire survey included information about the patients diagnosed with neonatal DIC.

Results: Among the 13,582 neonates surveyed, 120 (0.9 %) were diagnosed with DIC. Of them, clinical data were available for 105 cases. There were 11 deaths (mortality rate: 10.4 %), with the most common underlying condition being infection (n = 9), followed by neonatal asphyxia and hematologic disease (both, n = 1). Compared with the survival group, the death group had more infections, as well as a higher rate of bleeding symptoms and organ dysfunction.

Conclusions: Neonatal DIC associated with infectious diseases has a poor outcome. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate diagnostic and treatment guidelines for early intervention in such cases.