[Two aged patients with chronic renal failure and chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation secondary to aortic aneurysms: effect of continuous subcutaneous heparin infusion therapy].

We describe here two cases of chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC) secondary to aortic aneurysms. The patients were 78- and 84-year-old males, who visited our hospital to receive hemodialysis therapy for chronic renal failure probably due to nephrosclerosis. They had mild bleeding tendency and thrombocytopenia(< 10 x 10(4)/microliter). Coagulation test revealed the findings of chronic DIC in both patients, and computed tomography showed abdominal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms with mural thrombi, respectively. In one patient, subcutaneous hemorrhage after vascular access surgery had continued for a month. However, the hemorrhage and swelling of the limb disappeared after continuous subcutaneous heparin infusion(CSHI) therapy in a daily dose of 10,000-14,000 unit. These findings suggest that chronic DIC secondary to aortic aneurysm should be considered when bleeding tendency and thrombocytopenia are observed in aged patients, and that CSHI is the choice of therapy for the bleeding tendency of chronic DIC.