Pathophysiology of Thrombosis and Embolism Flashcards
What is an atheroma that has ruptured and formed a clot known as?
- Complicated atheroma
What is normal blood flow said to be?
Laminar
What does laminar blood flow mean?
- Blood cells travel through the middle of the vessel - Plasma travels along the sides - All constituents of the fluid travel at the same speed
What is stasis blood flow?
An abnormal flow where the blood becomes stagnant
What is turbulent blood flow?
- Loss of laminar flow causing “whirpooling” - Forceful and unpredictable
What is Virchow’s triad?
If one of them change then vascular disease can occur
What are the three aspects of Virchow’s triad?
- Changes in blood vessel wall - Changes in the blood constituents - Changes in the pattern of blood flow
What can arise from Virchow’s triad being altered?
- Thrombosis
What is the difference between thrombosis and clot?
- Thrombosis occurs in the body during life - Clot occurs either outside the body or during death
Give an example of changes in the blood vessel wall that can lead to thrombosis
Atheromatous coronary artery
What are the constituents of the normal arterial wall?
- Tunica intima - Tunica media - Tunica adventitia
What is the pathogenesis of thrombosis?
- Endothelial injury - Stasis or turbulent blood flow - Hypercoagulability of the blood These three are virchow’s triad
Study the atheroma pathology diagram
What is the order of pathology of a thrombus?
- Atheromatous coronary artery
- Causes turbulent blood flow leading to fibrin deposition and platelet clumping
- Intimal cells lost
- Collagen below intima is exposed, platelets activated and adhere
- Further turbelence and more platelet deposition
- Propegation occurs and thrombus breaks off becoming an embolus
How does hypercholesterolaemia follow Virchow’s triad in leaving to a thrombus
- Thrombus usually superimposed on atheroma after blood vessel wall is altered
Histologically, how are thrombi laid down?
- Lines of Zhan
- Platelets below fibrin below RBCs etc
What are examples of changes in the blood constituents that may lead to thrombus?
- Hyperviscosity
- Post traumatic hypercoagulability