Haemostasis : normal thrombus formation
Haemostasis depends on an intricate series of events involving platelets, other cells present in the blood, such as tissue factor [TF]-bearing cells, and the activation of specific blood proteins, known as coagulation factors.
Haemostasis is the normal physiological response that prevents significant blood loss after vascular injury.19 Knowledge of the process of haemostasis is important in order to understand the major disease states associated with thrombosis, such as:
Haemostasis is the normal physiological response that prevents significant blood loss after vascular injury.19 Knowledge of the process of haemostasis is important in order to understand the major disease states associated with thrombosis, such as:
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- Atherothrombosis (thrombosis triggered by plaque rupture)
- Cardioembolic stroke
Haemostasis schematic
The process of coagulation depends on a complex interplay of enzymatic and cellular activity, culminating in the formation of a stable vascular “plug”. The subsequent process of clot dissolution that occurs during the healing phase is known as “fibrinolysis”.
THROMBUS FORMATION
When blood vessel injury occurs, physiological haemostasis is triggered and the sequence of events listed below takes place:
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