Which of the following is a feature of disseminated intravascular coagulation

ref Robbins 7/e p656-658; 9/e p664-665 Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is the sudden or insidious onset of widespread thrombosis within the microcirculation. It may be seen in disorders ranging from obstetric complications to advanced malignancy. The thrombi are generally microscopic in size, yet so numerous as to often cause circulatory insufficiency, paicularly in the brain, lungs, hea, and kidneys. To complicate matters, the widespread microvascular thrombosis consumes plate- lets and coagulation proteins (hence the synonym con- sumption coagulopathy), and at the same time, fibrinolytic mechanisms are activated. Thus, an initially thrombotic disorder can evolve into a bleeding catastrophe. A point wohy of emphasis is that DIC is not a primary disease but rather a potential complication of numerous conditions associ- ated with widespread activation of thrombin