A study was carried out during the period from 1984 to 1986 in order to clarify the effects of gabexate mesilate (FOY) on DIC of infancy and childhood. Twenty-seven patients were treated either with FOY (18 cases including 7 newborn infants), heparin (5 cases, all newborn infants) or FOY plus heparin (4 cases including 3 newborn infants) followed by replacement therapy. The others (4 cases) were treated with replacement therapy alone. The clinical findings of DIC, particularly bleeding signs,

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... re improved in 17 patients treated with FOY, out of whom 5 cases eventually died. On the other hand, the bleeding sign was deteriorated in 4 out of 9 patients given heparin with or without FOY, and all 4 patients died of bleeding. No difference was seen in changes of laboratory findings on hemostasis and coagulation between the patient group treated with FOY alone and the other treatment groups. It is suggested that the administration of FOY was more effective than heparin therapy for the DIC of infancy and childhood, especially of neonates, because heparin is less effective due to the far lower level of antithrombin-III and more drastic consumption of coagulation factors and platelets in DIC of infancy, in comparison with DIC in children and adults. We recommend that FOY is to be given by continuous infusion at 1.2-2.0 mg/kg/hr, followed by early replacement therapy for the treatment of DIC of infancy and childhood.