Distinction between fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products produced during disseminated intravascular coagulation in childhood

Fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products in serum from five children with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) were characterized using a method of immunoabsorption followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All of the samples contained not only fragment D-dimer which was produced on plasmin lysis of cross-linked fibrin, but also fibrinogen degradation products (fragments X, Y and D). These results suggest that both fibrinogenolysis and fibrinolysis take place simultaneously in DIC.