Exam 2 Flashcards
How long do platelets last in circulation?
10 days
What does thrombocytosis mean?
increased platelets
What can cause a thrombocytosis
Inflammation
Iron deficiency anemia
Cushing’s disease
Steroid therapy
Can hemorrhage cause a thrombocytopenia
likely not. Unless you’ve lost all your blood volume or are in DIC
Why do we use a purple top when looking at platelets
Platelets have calcium in them and the clotting reactions need Ca+2. The purple tops have K/EDTA to inhibit Ca+2 in the blood so it won’t clot.
EDTA chelates the Ca+2 so it won’t clot
Calcium
positively charged and mediates the binding of the coagulation factor enzyme complexes via their negatively charged residues to the negatively charged phospholipid surfaces of platelets . allows the platelets to act as scaffolds for these reactions to occur
Most common breed to have Von Willebrand’s factor
Doberman
Cat platelets
Larger- with higher mean platelet volume.
Especially sensitive to activation during blood sample collection.
Hemostasis
the arrest of bleeding. Effective hemostasis requires an integrated response from the blood vessels, platelets, circulating clotting factors, and fibrinogen becoming fibrin
Primary hemostasis
peripheral vasoconstriction occurs.
Blood starts flowing again after momentary stoppage.
Platelets start degranulating and releasing Ca+2 to form a platelet plug.
Endothelial defect exposes subendothelial collagen.
End result= platelet plug
Secondary hemostasis
Stimulation of the coagulation system.
Thrombin converts fibrinogen to the active fibrin.
Fibrin is incorporated into the clot and the clot is stabilized
Coagulopathy
excessive bleeding due to abnormal function or lack of presence of a coagulation factor. Defect in secondary hemostasis. This is more of a problem than a platelet or a primary hemostasis problem. Lead to large amounts of bleeding not just petechiae or purpura.
Clot in the tube
Cannot trust the values from the hematology analyzer. She won’t even look at it.
Inherited asymptomatic thrombocytopenia
with macrocytic platelets. Seen in King Charles Spaniels and Greyhounds. 60-80,000 platelets can be normal; they are larger.
Mean platelet volume
Large platelets are younger platelets. Clumps will falsely decrease platelet count and increase MPV.
Thrombocytopenia
leads to petechiae, purpura or ecchymoses. Usually when they are less than 50,000, but usually even less than that. Worry about little hemorrhages that can occur in the brain, lungs, kidney, ect
Spontaneous hemorrhage
does not usually occur unless platelet counts are below 20,000
Blood draws for thrombocytopenic animals
veins far from the heart!! Also, you don’t wanna be sticking any organs for sample collection because you might not be able to stop the bleeding
Hallmark of tick borne disease
Thrombocytopenia
Evan’s syndrome
IMHA and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) simultaneously
Thrombocytopenia differentials
Increased platelet destruction- most common.
Decreased platelet production.
Increased platelet consumption.
Decreased platelet production
do a bone marrow aspirate to see if you have enough platelet precursors (megakaryocytes). If you do not have enough it is perhaps do to myelophtisis (space occupying lesion of BM), myeloproliferative diseases or aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia
bone marrow not making anything! for example, estrogen knocks out bone marrow in ferrets and dogs
Increased platelet consumption
DIC, thrombosis, vasculitis and hemangiosarcoma in dogs. These animals would likely show changes in their PT/PTT since they are using a lot of platelets to make clots elsewhere (clotting factors too).
Increased platelet destruction
Most common cause.
Primarily autoimmune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
Secondary immune-mediated thrombocytopenias (drugs, infectious, neoplasia)
Vitamin K dependent clotting factors
2, 7, 9, 10
Vitamin K
works by inhibiting the enzymes, vitamin K epoxide reductase, in the liver, making these factors hypofunctional.
**If factor 7 disfunction animal with have prolonged PT on the test
Anticoagulant proteins
anti-thrombin and alpha 2 macroglobin.
Anti-thrombin stops thrombin.
Thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin.
Heprin keeps thrombin and antithrombin together
Protein losing enteropathy (PLE)
low albumin and low globulin
Protein losing nephropathy (PLN)
Low albumin only
Low anti-thrombin
hypercoagulable state
DIC
PLN
PLE
Phases of clotting
1) vascular phase- exposure of subendothelial matrix and exposure of tissue factor.
2) platelet phase- adhesion, activation, shape change, secretion, aggregation, platelet adhesion (Von Willebrand’s factor)
Von Willebrand’s factor
how platelets adhere to each other and the vasculature.
Deficiency in dobermans. Desmopressin stimulates transienty release of Von Willebrand factor from endothelial cells.
Platelet activating factor (PAF)
Major platelet agonists. Made by cells of immune system, this is one way that inflammation and coagulation are linked.