Lecture 8: Hemostasis/Coagulation Flashcards
What are the ways in which we can achieve hemostasis?
Vascular constriction
Formation of a platelet plug
Formation of a blood clot as a result of blood coagulating
Eventual growth of fibrous tissue into the blood clot.
What causes our smooth muscle to contract? (in regards to hemostasis)
Trauma to the vessel wall
What causes smooth muscle wall contraction in our blood vessels?
Local myogenic spasm (aka responding to the physical trauma hitting the vessel)
Local autacoid factors (thromboxane A2)
Nervous reflexes (Pain)
What are platelets?
Little discs formed in the bone marrow.
NO NUCLEI
UNABLE TO REPRODUCE
If I do a CBC, how many platelets do I usually expect?
150k-450k
<150k = thrombocytopenia
> 450k = thrombocytosis
What can I find in the cytoplasm of a platelet?
Actin & myosin
Ca2+ and enzymes
Mitochondria
Enzyme systems for making prostaglandins
Fibrin-stabilizing factor
Growth factor (for endothelial cells)
What can I find on a platelet’s cell membrane?
Glycoproteins (repulse adherence to NORMAL endothelium, but adherence to INJURED endothelium)
Phospholipids (helps with blood-clotting)
What removes most of the platelets in our blood?
Macrophages in our spleen!
What is the half-life of a platelet?
8-12 days.
What do platelets specifically come into contact with on a damaged vessel wall?
Collagen fibers.
What happens when a platelet touches a collagen fiber?
It will start swelling and forming pseudopods.
Contractile proteins contract and release granules.
Platelets become sticky and adhere to the collagen fibers and von willebrand factor.
Secretes large quantities of ADP and thromboxane A2, causing vasoconstriction and activating nearby platelets.
This is also the process of a platelet plug.
What is thrombocytopenia?
Low levels of platelets in circulation.
Idiopathic.
What are the characteristics of thrombocytopenia?
Bleeding from SMALL vessels.
Note:
This is what makes it different from hemophilia, which is large vessels.
Our vessels are normally cut throughout the day, resulting in tiny holes. How are they fixed?
Platelet plugs.
Not blood clots!!!
What are the 5 stages of blood clotting?
- Severed vessel
- Platelets agglutinate
- Fibrin appears
- Fibrin clot forms
- Clot retraction occurs
How long does it take for a clot to start forming? Finish?
15-20 seconds to begin.
3-6 minutes is when the clot is fully filled.
20 minutes is when it actually retracts to close the vessel further.
What is a blood clot eventually replaced by?
Fibroblasts, which replace it with collagen.
Our blood contains pro and anticoagulants. Which one is generally more dominant?
Anticoagulants.
What are the two ways clotting is activated?
Rupture of the vessel
Damage to the blood itself.
What first occurs when clotting is activated?
Prothrombin activator is made (complex of substances)
What is the purpose of prothrombin activator?
Converts prothrombin to thrombin.
What is the purpose of thrombin?
Converts fibrinogen to fibrin.