Disseminated intravascular coagulation resulting in amputation. A case report.

This patient had many of the clinical features described in the literature as characteristic of DIC, an uncommon disease. These included the acute systemic infection precipitating the tissue pathology, ecchymotic skin lesions progressing to amputation, shock, anemia, and renal failure. The literature reported two case studies that resulted in amputation. During prosthetic training, both the patients developed skin problems that required prosthetic modification before they could wear their prostheses. The patient in our case study also required careful prosthetic modification with continual monitoring of the status of the skin. After three skin grafts and two surgical procedures to remove heteroptic ossification, the patient became a limited community ambulator (Fig. 4). When he attains full growth and the heteroptic bone formation subsides, we believe he should become a community ambulator, as long as he receives proper prosthetic care and follow-up.