Haemostasis

Haemostasis is the body’s way of ensuring that it doesn’t accidentally spill out too much blood when skin and vasculature is injured. Through a process of haemostasis, the body maintains an equilibrium between blood clotting too much and not clotting fast enough. The body uses control mechanisms to limit clotting and dissolve clots that are no longer needed. An abnormality in a ny part of this system that controls bleeding can lead to excessive bleeding or excessive clotting. Both of which are bad. If the body is clotting too much, the person will develop clots where they do not want to develop clots, such as a Deep Vein Thrombosis, which may travel through the vasculature system into the lungs, where if large enough, it may become lodged in the pulmonary artery causing a fatal pulmonary emoblism. Furthermore, if the body doesn’t clot enough, even the most minor injury may result in a patient bleeding to death.

Haemostasis is maintained through 4 main mechanism pathways, and these include:

1. Vascular spasm

2. Platelet plug formation

3. Coagulation

4.Clot retraction and dissolution

If you would like to learn more about the 4 main mechanisms involved in  haemostasis, please review my Haemostasis Mechanisms page.