Homeostasis

  1. Anticoagulant

An anticoagulant thins the blood and works opposite to a coagulant. 

  1. Antithrombin

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

  1. Clotting factors 

Chemicals called clotting factors prompt reactions that activate more clotting factors. It happens over 2 pathways. extrinsic pathway triggered by trauma. intrinsic pathway triggered by internal damage

  1. Coagulation

Coagulation is the formation of a blood clot which is a durable mesh that traps blood cells and seal a vessel

  1. Common pathway

The common pathway is the final stage where the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways merge to activate factor X which leads to the production of therombin

  1. Embolus

The thrombus that breaks free from a blood vessel wall and enters the circulatory system where it can travel through the blood stream and obstruct something 

  1. extrinsic pathway

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

  1. Fibrin

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

  1. Fibrinolysis

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

  1. Hemophilia

A genetic disorder where blood does not clot because the body does not produce the sufficient amount of necessary clotting factors which can lead to excessive bleeding.

  1. Hemorrhage

Excessive bleeding when any of the three steps of hemostasis fail to seal a ruptured a damaged blood vessel. 

  1. Hemostasis


  1. Heparin

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

  1. Intrinsic pathway

A slowing acting coagulation pathway directly in the bloodstream that's triggered when factor XII encounters collagen or damaged inner lining of the blood vessel wall.

  1.  Plasmin

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

  1. platelet plug

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

  1. 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.

  1. Thrombin

An enzyme converted from prothrombin during the coagulation cascade that turns fibrinogen into insoluble strands of fibrin to close a blood clot.

  1. Thrombosis

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

  1. Thrombus

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

  1. tissue factor

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

  1. vascular spasm

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