Session 5 Flashcards
Define thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a solid mass of blood within the circulatory system, during life. It is not the same as clotting.
What is the difference between thrombosis and clotting?
?
Why does thrombosis occur? (3)
- Abnormalities of the vessel wall.
- Abnormalities of blood flow.
- Abnormalities of blood components.
Give examples of abnormalities of the vessel wall that can lead to thrombosis. (3)
- Atheroma (Important in arterial thrombosis not venous thrombosis)
- Direct injury (Not in the form of a cut - that would be clotting )
- Inflammation (Vasculitis or inflammation that was not primarily at the vessels but spread )
Give examples of abnormalities of blood flow that can lead to thrombosis. (2)
- Stagnation (Most obvious in deep vein thrombosis where there is inadequate pumping of the venous blood by the calf muscles)
- Turbulence (Blood does not flow linearly and smoothly in adjacent layers)
Give examples of abnormalities of blood components that can lead to thrombosis. (3)
- Smokers: Have “sticky blood” hypercoagulable blood (coagulation: changing from liquid to at least semi-solid).
- Post-partum: Increased coagulability of blood is associated with pregnancy - physiological advantage - help healing following removal of placenta from uterus
- Post-op: Physiological changes but also get stagnation of blood following post-op due to lack of movement
Describe the appearance of an arterial thrombi (4)
- Pale (paler than venous thrombus).
- Granular
- Lines of Zahn (layered appearance)
- Lower cell count
Aortic aneurysm?
Come back to - slide 5
Why do the lines of Zahn look different in thrombus?
Look different because it depends on the amount of RBC in that part of the thrombus - different times with different flows = get greater or fewer RBCS = get lpaleror darker lines of Zahn
