Hemostase is a physiological process in which a number of processes occur in the blood vessels that aim to stop bleeding in the area where the wound occurs, maintaining normal blood flow for the rest of the body.
Hemostaia occurs in three stages that follow quickly and coordinatedly, with the consequence that the second after injury, a clot forms at the site of inheritance to block bleeding. This clot is mainly composed of platelets and fibrin.
Hemostaia occurs in three dependent and simultaneous stages
Hemostaia begins from the moment the blood vessel injury occurs; When responding to an injury, use vasoconstriction to reduce local blood flow and the way to prevent bleeding or thrombosis.
In addition, platelets are activated and adhered to the endothelium of the blood vessel using the von Willebrand factor. The platelets then change shape so that they can release their contents into the plasma, which has the function of recruiting more platelets for the injured area. and generate adhesion with each other, forming the primary platelet tape, which can be effective. Time.
Learn more about platelets and their functions
At the same time as primary hemostase occurs, the coagulation cascade is activated by having the proteins responsible for it perform their function, due to the cascade of coagulation and fibrin formation, has the function of strengthening the primary platelet puncture, making it more stable.
The clotting factors of proteins circulating in the blood inactively, activated according to the need of the body, with the ultimate goal of transforming fibrinogen into fibrin, fundamental to the hemostase process.
Fibrillation is the third stage of hemostasis and involves a process of gradual destruction of platelet cover to restore normal blood flow. This process is mediated by plasmin, which is a plasminogenic protein, which has the function of degrading fibrin.
Changes in hemostasis can be detected by specific blood tests, such as:
In addition to these problems, your doctor may recommend others, such as the one that determines clotting factors, for example, so that we can know if there is a bleeding deficit, which can interfere with the hemostase process.