Haemostasis Flashcards
What is haemostasis?
the cellular and biochemical processes that enables both the specific and regulated cessation of bleeding in response to vascular insult
What is haemostasis for?
- Prevention of blood loss from intact vessels
- Arrest bleeding from injured vessels
- enable tissue repair
What is the immediate response to injury to endothelial cell lining? What happens?
- Vessel constriction
1. Vascular smooth muscle cells contract locally
2. Limits blood flow to injured vessel
What happens in primary haemostasis?
- Formation of an unstable platelet plug
1. platelet adhesion
2. platelet aggregation
3. Limits blood loss + provides surface for coagulation
What happens in secondary haemostasis?
- Stabilisation of the plug with fibrin
1. blood coagulation
2. Stops blood loss
What happens in fibrinolysis?
- Vessel repair and dissolution of clot
1. Cell migration/proliferation and fibrinolysis
2. Restores vessel integrity
Why do we need to understand haemostatic mechanisms?
- Diagnose and treat bleeding disorders
- Control bleeding in individuals who do not have an underlying bleeding disorder
- Identify risk factors for thrombosis
- Treat thrombotic disorders
- Monitor the drugs that are used to treat bleeding and thrombotic
disorders
What could be a reason for bone marrow failure?
- leukaemia (infiltration by leukaemic cells)
- B12 deficiency (due to infiltration by megablasts) which squeezes out normal haemopoesis including development of platelets from megakaroycties
What could be a reason for accelerated clearance?
- immune (ITP): more than sufficient platelets made by bone barrow but are destroyed in peripheral circulation
- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)
What are some reasons/name for low number of platelets?
- thrombocytopenia
1. Bone marrow failure
2. Accelerated clearance
3. Pooling and destruction in an enlarged spleen
What is a very common cause of theombocytopenia?
ITP
Why might there be hereditary impaired function of platelts?
Hereditary absence of glycoproteins or storage granules (rare)
Why might there be acquired impaired function of platelts ?
due to drugs: aspirin, NSAIDs, clopidogrel (common)
What is prostaglandin thomboxane A2 produced by?
platelets from arachidonic acid
What does aspirin bind to?
- Inhibits production of thromboxane a2
- Binds irreversibly blocking action of COX
- So reduced platelet aggregation
What does clopidorgel irreversibility block?
Irreversibly blocks ADP receptor P2Y12 (on platelet cell membrane)
What are the reasons for Von Willebrand disease?
- Hereditary decrease of quantity +/ function (common)
- Acquired due to antibody (rare)
What is the effect of VWF on haemostasis?
- Binding to collagen and capturing platelets
- Stabilising Factor VIII
- Factor VIII may be low if VWF is very low
What is VWD hereditary?
- VWD is usually hereditary (autosomal inheritance pattern)
- Deficiency of VWF (Type 1 or 3)
- WF with abnormal function (Type 2)
What are the hereditary reasons for vessel wall disorder?
- Inherited (rare), abnormalities in collagen
1. Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia
2. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and other connective tissue disorders
What are the acquired reasons for vessel wall?
- Steroid therapy (LT can mean atrophy of collagen fibres supporting blood vessels in the skin)
- Ageing (‘senile’ purpura)
- Vasculitis
- Scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency) - defective collagen synthesis leading to weakening of capillary wall
What are typical primary haemostasis bleeding?
- Immediate
- Prolonged bleeding from cuts
- Nose bleeds (epistaxis):prolonged > 20 mins
- Gum bleeding: prolonged
- Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
- Bruising (ecchymosis), may be spontaneous/easy
- Prolonged bleeding after trauma or surgery
What are tests for disorders of primary haemostasis?
- Platelet count, platelet morphology
- Bleeding time (PFA100 in lab)
- Assays of von Willebrand Factor
- Clinical observation (look at connective tissue disorder)
- Note –coagulation screen (PT, APTT) is normal (except more severe VWD cases where FVIII is low)
How do you treat the failure of production/function for the treatment of abnormal haemostasis?
- Replace missing factor/platelets e.g. VWF containing concentrates
i) Prophylactic
ii) Therapeutic - Stop drugs e.g. aspirin/NSAIDs
How do you treat the immune destruction for the treatment of abnormal haemostasis?
- Immunosuppression (e.g. prednisolone) (steroid)
2. Splenectomy for ITP
How do you treat the increased consumption e.g. in DIC for the treatment of abnormal haemostasis?
- Treat cause
- Replace as necessary
Why do you use desmopressin (DDAVP) for haemostatic treatment?
- Vasopressin analogue
- 2-5 fold increase in VWF (and FVIII)
- releases endogenous stores of WVF (so only useful in mild disorders)
Why do you use tranexamic acid for haemostatic treatment?
Antifibrinolytic
What are some other haemostatic treatments?
- Fibrin glue/spray
2. Other approaches e.g hormonal (oral contraceptive pill for menorrhagia)
What are disorders of coagulation (secondary haemostasis)?
- The role of coagulation is to generate thrombin (IIa), which will convert fibrinogen to fibrin
- Deficiency of any coagulation factor results in a failure of thrombin generation and hence fibrin formation
What are the hereditary reasons for deficiency of coagulation factor production?
- Factor VIII deficiency (haemophilia A)
- Factor IX deficiency (haemophilia B_
What are the acquired reasons for deficiency of coagulation factor production?
- Liver disease
- Anticoagulant drugs such as:
- Warfarin
- Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs)
What are acquired reasons for dilution?
-Blood transfusion (inadequate replacement of plasma following massive haemorrhage)