Thromboelastometry-guided surgery in neuroblastoma complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation

BACKGROUND: Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a rare oncological emergency. We report a pediatric neuroblastoma complicated with DIC which required thromboelastometry-guided surgery. OBSERVATION: A 6-year-old female diagnosed with intermediate risk adrenal neuroblastoma developed tumor-related DIC after chemotherapy first cycle. She remained stable without clinical bleeding and emergent tumor resection guided by intraoperative-thromboelastometry was decided. DIC resolved early after surgery and complete remission was achieved. CONCLUSION: Treatment of the underlying condition is critical to manage DIC. Thromboelastometry can guide goal-directed therapy, including surgery in pediatric patients. However, larger studies are needed to examine its applicability in different clinical settings, such as cancer related DIC.