TREATMENT OF DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION WITH GABEXATE MESILATE

Gabexate mesilate (FOY) was used to treat 215 patients with disseminat ed intravascular coagulation (DIC) and 146 patients with a predisposit ion to DIC (pre-DIC). Sixty percent of DIC patients and 48% of pre-DIC patients exhibited pretreatment organ failure, which resolved after F OY treatment in 16% of DIC patients and 17% of pre-DIC patients. Seven ty percent of DIC patients and 49% of pre-DIC patients had a pretreatm ent bleeding tendency that was ameliorated by FOY treatment in 32% of DIC patients and 30% of pre-DIC patients. Comparison of pretreatment a nd posttreatment hemostatic studies of the DIC patients revealed that platelet count and levels of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), th rombin-antithrombin-III complex, and FDP-D-dimer decreased significant ly; fibrinogen level increased markedly; and prothrombin time was prol onged. DIC scores were significantly lowered in both leukemic and nonl eukemic patients from the third day of treatment with FOY. Among leuke mic DIC patients, 59% showed complete remission (CR), 21% partial remi ssion (PR), and 7% exacerbation of their condition; 46% of the nonleuk emic DIC patients demonstrated CR, 17% PR, and 17% exacerbation. Of th e leukemic pre-DIC patients, 59% showed improvement and 7% exacerbatio n, whereas 55% of the nonleukemic pre-DIC patients showed improvement and 27% exacerbation.