A nurse caring for a patient with crushing injuries from an automobile accident notes that the patient is bleeding profusely from the nose, mouth, and rectum, as well as from the injuries.What should the nurse suspect as the cause of this patient's bleeding?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a serious condition caused by a systemic activation of blood clotting components, causing blood clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body, which can lead to organ damage and bleeding from multiple sites. The patient's crushing injuries from the automobile accident could have triggered DIC. Hemophilia, leukemia, and thrombocytopenia may also cause bleeding, but they do not typically present with bleeding from multiple sites as DIC does.

A Nurse Caring for a Patient with Crushing Injuries from an Automobile