Cardio L18 Thrombosis Flashcards
Thrombosis
Formation of a solid mass from the constituents of the blood within the living circulation.
!!!Distinction from blood clot!!!
Blood clot
When blood solidifies outside the living circulation the solid and fluid components separate and form blood clots.
When a thrombus forms
The cellular and serum phases are mixed and form a series of alternating layers of cell poor and cell rich zones.
Layers of thrombus
Lines of Zahn
Arterial site thrombus type
Tiny, consisting largely of platelets (Very small dimension)
Venous site thrombus type
Small and pale; platelet and fibrin rich (Fast local blood flow)
Capillaries thrombus type
Large and red; Red cell rich (Slow local blood flow)
Virchow’s triad →
The conditions, which predispose to thrombosis, were first addressed by Virchow in the mid 19th Century.
Changes in the vessel wall
Changes in local blood flow
Changes in co-agulative qualities of the blood
Changes in the vessel wall
Loss of endothelial integrity (most common: atheroma)
Changes in local blood flow
Nature of blood flow – laminar vs. turbulent
Disturbance of blood flow allows large numbers of platelets to come into contact with endothelium.
Changes in co-agulative qualities of the blood
Alteration in coagulability of the blood Increased platelet numbers: 1. Major injury 2. Surgery 3. Post partum Increased fibrinogen concentration
→ Thrombus forms at
sites of endothelial injury.
Intact endothelium tend to discourage thrombosis by 3
- Expressing sulphated mucopolysacchardies (heparin and heparin like molecules)
- Expressing tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)
- Synthesizing prostacyclin (PGI2)
The endothelial cell surface is covered by and are potent activators ok
covered by sulphated mucopolysaccharides, which carry a large negative charge.
These molecules are potent activators of circulating antithrombotic enzymes such as anti-thrombin 3.
Heparin causes
A conformational change in the anti-thrombin molecule which enhances its activity a hundredfold.
Endothelium expresses
Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)
Plasminogen is the
Circulating, inactive, precursor of the enzyme Plasmin which destroys thrombus.
Endothelial TPA activates
Plasminogen with the result that there is active destruction of thrombus at the endothelial surface.
Damaged endothelial cells generates
Prostacyclin (PGI2)
PGI2 function
Dilates vessels
Disaggregates platelets
Opposition to PGI2
Prostaglangin generated by platelets
Platelets description
Circulating anuclear fragments of the cytoplasm derived from megakaryocytes (multinucleate bone marrow cells, each of which will generate between 2000 & 4000 platelets).