Tobias Chapter 7 - Bleeding and Hemostasis Flashcards
Define primary and secondary hemostasis
Primary hemostasis: the interaction between platelets and endothelium, resulting in the formation of a platelet plug. Secondary hemostasis: a sequence of proteolytic reactions involving coagulation factors, and resulting in the production of fibrin polymers, which stabilize the platelet plug to form a mature thrombus.
What is the definition and importance of fibrinolysis?
Fibrinolysis refers to the process of fibrin dissolution to restore vascular patency. This process occurs concomitantly with the two phases of coagulation and is integral to the maintenance of vascular supply through controlled coagulation.
What is the lifespan of platelets in dogs and cats?
1 week
What is the sequence of events during the activation of the Cascade model of coagulation? What starts each of the two branches of this cascade?
The cascade model proposes the existence of an intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, either of which can lead to the formation of fibrin, the end product of coagulation. INTRINSIC: factor 12 (Hagen/kallikrin);. EXTRINSIC: Tissue factor. Either leads to conversion of factor X to Xa > V to Va > Prothrombin to thrombin > Fibrinogen to Fibrin
What are the three phases of the cell-based model of coagulation?
Initiation, amplification and propagation
What are the events of the initiation phase of the cell based model of coagulation?
Vascular damage leads to exposure of tissue factor (TF) to plasma. TF activates factor VII to VIIa > X to Xa > Small amounts of thrombin (II to IIa)
What are the events of the amplification phase of the cell-based model of coagulation?
Thrombin amplifies the initial signal by activating platelets and cofactors (fVa, fVIIIa) on the platelet surfaces (priming, or amplification phase)
What are the events of the propagation phase of the cell-based model of coagulation?
Platelets express large amounts of high affinity coagulation receptors on their surface, leading to large scale thrombin production.
The cell based model of coagulation offers a more logical explanation of the mechanism that regulates coagulation. Explain.
The cell-based model assigns activation and propagation to different cell components. Tissue Factor, necessary for the initiation phase, is not present in platelets. Non-activated platelets, a component of the amplification phase, do not express the necessary surface (procoagulant membrane) to activate sufficient amount of prothrombin.
What does “platelet activation“ mean at a membrane level?
Non-activated platelets expose neutral phospholipids to the outer surface of the cell membrane. Upon activation, these phospholipids are shuffled to expose the negatively charged end to the outer surface of the cell. The negatively charged surface is able to activate coagulation factors, thereby “amplifying” the coagulation process.
What are the three inhibitors utilized by the endothelium to control platelet activation? What is their basic function?
Prostacyclin (PGI2 - produced from Arachidonic to Acid through COX2 > limits TXa2 action)
Ecto-ADPase (metabolizes ADP produced by platelets, preventing activation)
Nitric Oxide (produced by nitric oxide, synthesis, diffuses into platelets and decreases intracellular, calcium, decreasing the expression of integrin and affinity for fibrinogen binding sites.
What are the three natural anticoagulant pathways? What is their function?
Antithrombin: binds and inactivates coagulation proteins that escape the site of injury, particularly thrombin (IIa) and Xa.
Protein C: inactivates factors Va and VIIa
Tissue factor pathway inhibitor: binds and inactivates factor Xa
Describe the basic structure of the fibrinolytic system
Plasminogen activators (Tissue-kind and Urokinase-kind, t-PA and u-PA) convert plasminogen into plasmin, which degrades fibrin into fibrin degradation product (FDP’s). T-PA is produced by the endothelium, and requires fibrin as a co-factor, therefore the reduction in fibrin availability prevents excessive plasma agent conversion.
How is fibrinolysis controlled? What is the primary inhibitor?
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 inhibits both t-PA and u-PA; stored in platelet alpha granules, and released upon platelet activation.
What is pseudothrombocytopenia? When is this likely to occur and in what species is most commonly observed?
Artifact observed when platelets are not adequately counted by the automated analytical process. Most commonly observed in cats (71%) due to the similarity in size between RBCs and platelets.
How can an estimate of platelet count be made based on a blood smear? What is the main limitation to this method?
If clumping is not present(limitation), the platelet count can be estimated. This is achieved by multiplying the average number of platelets per high-power field (within the monolayer of the blood film) by 15,000.
What does the Buccal mucosal bleeding time assess? For what conditions is it indicated?
Primary hemostasis. Indicated for cases of suspected thrombocytopenia, thrombopathia and vasculopathy.
What do PT and aPTT assess? Which is more sensitive to Factor VII deficiency and why?
Both assess secondary hemostasis. PT (prothrombin time): extrinsic and common pathways. Sensitive to factor VII deficiency (very short half-life) / aPTT (activated partial thromboplastin time): intrinsic and common pathways.
Are PT/APTT good tests to predict whether or not a patient will develop significant hemorrhage during a surgical procedure?
No. They assess in vitro coagulation based on the cascade model, which does not correlate well with in vivo hemostasis. They are particularly useful for identifying deficiencies in secondary hemostasis, which would be more relevant in the post operative period.
What does Activated Clotting Time (ACT) assess? How does it compare with the most commonly utilized tests in clinical practice?.
ACT assesses the intrinsic and common pathways via activation of factor XII. Significantly less sensitive than aPTT.
How are Fibrin Degradation Products (FDP’s) produced? Are they detrimental?List three conditions that may lead to high levels of FDP’s.
FDP’s are produced when plasma, degrades, fibrinogen, soluble fibrin, and cross-link fibrin. High levels increase fibrinogenolysis and fibrinolysis, impairing coagulation. Maybe observed in SIRS, IMHA and Sepsis.
What are D-dimers? What is their clinical use?
D-dimers are degradation products of cross-linked fibrin. They are not only reflective of activation, like FDP‘s, but rather reflective of ongoing coagulation and fibrinolysis. Sensitive indicator of DIC and thromboembolism, but are not specific. Not sensitive in cats.
List three factors that inhibit fibrin polymerization
Heparin, FDP’s and Hypoalbuminemia.
How is the fibrinogen assay clinically useful if PT/ APTT essays are commonly available? How is this test performed?
PT/APTT assess the coagulation cascade that will result in the formation of a fibrin clot. These tests, however, will not be significantly prolonged until fibrinogen levels are quite depleted (less than 50 to 100 mg/dL) Fibrinogen is measured as “functional fibrinogen”, which is the time taken for a standard thrombin solution to convert fibrinogen into fibrin.
What are the four phases of coagulation according to the cell based model?
Activation, amplification, propagation, and fibrinolysis
How does thromboelastography compare with routine coagulation tasks in the clinical setting? Respond using positive and negative predictive values for bleeding
Thromboelastography more closely correlates with clinical bleeding than routine clotting tests (PT, aPTT). Thromboelastography has a positive predictive value of 89% and negative predictive value of 98% for bleeding routine coagulation tests have a positive predictive value of 50% and negative predictive value of 81%
What factors can adversely affect the results of thromboelastography? How
Red blood cell mass negatively affect the results. Anemia leads to falsely hypercoagulable results. Polycythemia leads to falsely hypocoagulable results.
Evans syndrome is a potential primary bleeding disorder. What does this syndrome entail?
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
Disorders of primary hemostasis include causes of decreased platelet production. List five differentials.
Immune-mediated Megakaryocytic hypoplasia, retroviral infection (FIV/FeLV), estrogen- related bone marrow suppression, myeloproliferative disease, myelodysplasia, radiation, infection (Anaplasma platis), drug induced.
Disorders of primary hemostasis include causes of increased destruction of platelets. List five differentials.
Primary Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia: Idiopathic, Evans syndrome (ITP + IMHA), SLE. Secondary Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia: drugs, tick-borne disease, neoplasia, live virus vaccines