16. Coagulation Flashcards
What is hemostasis?
ability of body’s systems to maintain integrity of blood and blood vessels - defined as stopping of bleeding
involves several complex pathways, platelets, and coagulation factors
Alterations in any of these can cause bleeding disorders
What are the elements of hemostasis?
endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels - in health, have anticoagulant properties
Platelets
Coagulation/clotting factors - found in plasma in sm concentrations
What are the two parts of hemostasis?
MECHANICAL: initiated when there is tear/damage to blood vessel wall > exposed subendothelium is a charged surface which attracts platelets > von Willebrand factor req for platelet adhesion, it stabilizes platelet plug > adhesion causes platelets to release factors that initiate chemical phase of blood coagulation
CHEMICAL: coagulation cascade
What is the coagulation cascade?
12 diff factors 1-13, no factor 11
Each step triggers next reaction in pathway
End result is a mesh of crosslinked, insoluble, fibrin strands that form blood clot
What are cascade cofactoes?
entire clotting process reqs many cofactors including Vit K and Ca
Multiple feedback loops - to accelerate process when needed and inhib process when necessary
What are the blood hemostasis mechanisms?
Coagulation cascade is divided into three pathways, the divisions are artificial
intrinsic pathway - intravascular
Extrinsic - within tissue, helps to initiate intrinsic
common - where the two systems meet
absence of a single factor in any of the three will = coag deficiencies
we use these systems to help diagnose and pinpoint the coagulopathy
What is the primary clot formation?
Platelet plug
An injured blood vessel will constrict, if defect is small, blood flow may stop
Damage to vessel wall exposes collagen which triggers platelets to adhere and aggregate to it
Activated platelets: release granules that recruit other platelets to sit, triggers coagulation cascade and forms the primary clot
The platelet-collagen complex releases several chemical messengers (coagulation factors) as well as provides a cellular matrix for the main clot to adhere to
What is secondary clot fromation
process of stablizing primary clot or platelet plug
Fibrin adheres to the platelets and holds them together like a net
The adherence of fibrin strands is result of numerous coagulation factors
both primary and secondary clot formation occurs simultaneously
What is degradation of blood clot?
as important as it is for blood clots to form when vascular damage occurs, important that body has mechanism in which to break down blood clots, and inhib unnecessary clot formation - a series of reactions perform these functions
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasmin: break down soluble fibrin into fibrin degradation products (FDPs)
break down insoluble fibrin into cross-linked FDP’s and D-dimers
What do we need to keep aware of when collecting and handling samples?
Collect quickly w/ little tissue damage as possible
Reduce patient excitement bc w/ inc platelet count and activation, von Willebrand factor, Factors 1, 5 and 13
What catheter do we never collect a sample from? Instead, what should we use?
An indwelling cath bc sm amounts of fibrin, fibrinogen and platelets usually present within cath
If poss, use vacutainer to help relim or reduce platelet activate
What is the preferred anticoagulant for clotting tests?
sodium citrate - much remember 10% dilution factor and correctly our count
What is the preferred tube when doing platelet counts?
EDTA
What tube might we use for blood transfusions?
sodium citrate
Do we use anticoagulant when doing whole blood counting time and activated coagulation?
No
What is the proper fill ratio of sodium citrate and whole blood
1NaCitrate:9whole blood