Session 5 - Haemostasis Flashcards
How is an appropriate level of haemostasis achieved?
-Through the balance of procoagulants and anticoagulants
What is the result of increased anticoagulants?
-Excessive bleeding (haemophilia)
What is the result of excessive procoagulants?
-Thrombosis
What are the main factors in haemostasis?
- Vessel walls
- Platelets
- Coagulation system
- Fibrinolytic system
What is the mechanism of haemostasis?
1) Severed artery contracts which decreases the pressure down stream to limit flow
2) Fragile primary haemostatic plug of activated platelets forms in seconds to minutes, sticking to the injured vessel and surrounding CT
3) Secondary haemostatic plug forms as fibrin filaments stabilise the platelet plug (approx 30 mins)
What becomes of a secondary haemostatic plug?
-Becomes organised and replaced by granulation tissue and a small scar
What is the problem for haemostasis for people with a los platelet count or non-functional platelets?
-They cannot form the primary haemostatic plug
What is the problem for haemostasis in haemophiliacs?
-They cannot form the secondary haemostatic plug as they have functioning platelts but impaired clotting so cant produce fibrin
What do platelets adhere to within the damaged vessel and how?
-Adhere to the subendothelium, specifically to von willebrand factor which is concentrated on the subendothelium basement membrane
How does the haemostatic plug grow?
- Aggregation with other platelets which are stabilised by fibrin
- Swelling
- Secretion of factors which aid clotting
List some factors secreted by platelets which aid clotting
- Fibrinogen
- ADP (activates more platelets)
- Thromboxane A2 (powerful platelet aggregator)
List some platelet activators
- ADP
- Collage surfaces in extravascular areas
- Thrombin
- Adrenaline
What role does serotonin (5-HT) play in haemostasis?
-Vasoconstrictor
Why is tissue factor important in haemostasis?
-Exposed in damaged BVs and initiates extrinsic clotting cascade
What activates fibrinogen?
-Thrombin proteolytically cleaves fibrinogen to fibrin
Why is thrombin under high control?
-It cannot circulate in an active state or blood would be solid
What is the difference between the activation of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of clotting?
- Intrinsic -> Triggered by a negatively charged surface eg glass/subendothelium -> no vessels need to be broken open
- Extrinsic -> activation relies on tissue factor from damaged cells bring released when blood is spilled
How does retraction/contraction of a clot occur?
-As platelets die they clind to the fibrin filaments and pull by their actin-myosin system
What is the purpose of retraction/contraction?
- Toughen the clot by squeezing out fluid
- Pull together the sides of small wounds
What is the difference between anticoagulants and fibrinolysis?
- Anticoagulants oppose the formation of fibrin
- Fibrinolysis destroys the fibrin clot after it has been formed
Name some natural anticoagulants
- Protein C
- Protein S
- Antithrombin III
What happens if you lack some of the body’s natural anticoagulants?
-repeated episodes of thrombosis
What is the purpose of the fibrinolytic system?
-Break down fibrin
What is the active molecule which breaks down fibrin?
-Plasmin
How is plasmin activated?
-From the inactive precursor plaminogen by plasminogen activators such as tPA and urokinase
What is streptokinase?
-A therapeutic plasmonigen activator obtained from streptococci
When are plasminogen activators used therapeutically?
- To dissovle fibrin and thus thrombi/thromboemboli
- To attack fibrinogen to cause a general depletion
Why is recombinant tPA better to use than streptokinase?
-Streptokinase is antigenic, tPA isnt
What happens to a vessel wall when it is severed?
-It constricts to limit blood loss and trap platelets
What factors do vessel endothelia possess which favours clotting?
- Produces von willebrand factor for platelet adhesion
- Favours the coagulation cascage
- Opposes fibrinolysis
What antithrombotic properties do vessel endothelia secrete?
- Plasminogen activators
- Prostacyclin (inhibits platelet aggregation)
- NO
- Thrombomodulin (opposes thrombin)
What is a thrombus?
-A clot which has formed inappropriately in the heart or vessels, from the constituents of blood, during life