A nurse is teaching a client who has septic shock about the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Which of the following statements should the nurse make?

Choice A rationale Heparin is an anticoagulant that can be used in some phases of DIC, particularly when thrombotic manifestations predominate. However, DIC is a complex disorder with both widespread clotting and bleeding, and its management is highly individualized. It is not controllable with lifelong heparin usage, and heparin can even exacerbate bleeding in certain phases of the disorder. Treatment focuses on addressing the underlying cause. Choice B rationale DIC is characterized by widespread activation of the coagulation cascade, leading to the formation of microthrombi throughout the microvasculature. This process consumes platelets and clotting factors, resulting in thrombocytopenia, which is a *decreased* platelet count, not an elevated one. A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. Choice C rationale DIC is not a genetic disorder. It is an acquired condition that occurs as a complication of various underlying diseases, such as sepsis, trauma, cancer, and obstetric emergencies. While vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of certain clotting factors, DIC is not primarily caused by a vitamin K deficiency; rather, it involves a dysregulation of the entire coagulation system. Choice D rationale DIC is caused by abnormal coagulation involving fibrinogen. In DIC, there is excessive activation of thrombin, which converts fibrinogen into fibrin monomers. These monomers then polymerize to form fibrin clots, leading to widespread microvascular thrombosis. This consumption of fibrinogen, along with other clotting factors, subsequently leads to a paradoxical bleeding diathesis.