Homeostasis

Anticoagulant

Thins the blood and works opposite to a coagulant.

Antithrombin

A substance that is an anticoagulant. It helps limit the clotting process by preventing thrombin from converting more fibrinogen into fibrin.

Clotting factors

Chemicals prompt reactions that activate more clotting factors, occurring over the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.

Coagulation

Formation of a blood clot, which is a durable mesh that traps blood cells and seals a vessel.

Common pathway

The final stage where the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways merge to activate factor X, leading to the production of thrombin.

Embolus

The thrombus that breaks free from a blood vessel wall and enters the circulatory system, obstructing blood flow.

Extrinsic pathway

Triggered by traumatic damage to surrounding tissue that releases tissue factor to initiate clotting from outside the blood.

Fibrin

An insoluble, filamentous protein that forms the structure of a blood clot.

Fibrinolysis

The process where the blood clot is dissolved in a healing blood vessel to restore unobstructed blood flow.

Hemophilia

A genetic disorder where blood does not clot due to insufficient production of necessary clotting factors.

Hemorrhage

Excessive bleeding due to failure in any of the three steps of hemostasis to seal a ruptured blood vessel.

Hemostasis

The process that prevents and stops bleeding, or hemorrhage.

Heparin

A short acting anticoagulant on the surface of cells lining blood vessels to limit active coagulation.

Intrinsic pathway

A slow-acting coagulation pathway triggered when factor XII encounters collagen or damaged inner lining of the blood vessel.

Plasmin

An active enzyme that digests the fibrin mesh of a clot.

Platelet plug

A temporary accumulation of platelets that clump together and stick to collagen at an injury site to seal openings in a damaged blood vessel.

Serum

The clear yellowish part of blood plasma that is separated after a blood sample is completely clotted and its clotting factors are used up.

Thrombin

An enzyme converted from prothrombin during the coagulation cascade that turns fibrinogen into insoluble strands of fibrin.

Thrombosis

A condition where there is excessive blood clotting where it shouldn't be, often caused by an elevated number of platelets.

Thrombus

An unusual blood clot made up of fibrin, platelets, and erythrocytes that builds up and stays attached to a blood vessel.

Tissue factor

A protein factor also called Factor III, released by damaged tissue cells that activate the extrinsic pathway.

Vascular spasm

The first step of hemostasis where the walls of a ruptured blood vessel constrict to narrow the pathway and restrict blood flow.