Question

How does blood coagulation occur?

Answer 1

Blood clotting:

1. Clotting of the blood aids in wound healing.
2. It is a semi-solid mass formed when the blood in a specific area of our tissue thickens.
3. Heparin is an anticoagulant that prevents blood clotting.

Process of blood clotting:

Platelets forming a plug:

1. When a blood vessel is damaged, platelets become activated.
2. They adhere to the surrounding walls, changing shape to form a plug that fills the affected area, preventing blood from oozing out.

The clot grows:

1. Proteins in the blood called clotting factors communicate with one another, causing a chain reaction of events.
2. In the presence of calcium ions, thromboplastin (TF) converts inactive prothrombin to active prothrombin.
3. This then converts fibrinogen to fibrin.
4. Fibrin and platelets combine to form a homeostatic plug or clot over the injured site.
5. Other proteins counteract extra clotting factors, preventing the clot from spreading further.
6. As the damaged tissue heals, the body no longer requires the clot.
7. The fibrin strands dissolve, and the platelets and cells of the clot are returned to the blood.
8. Blood clots are treated differently depending on where they are found.
9. Anticoagulants, thrombolytics, thrombectomy, and catheter-directed thrombolysis are some of the current treatments.