Coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation is not an illness. It is in fact a life-threatening blood disorder. This disorder is characterized by excessive clotting or bleeding. This is due to widespread fibrin formation or fibrinolysis. Fibrinolysis is the dissolution of fibrin in the blood stream. With DIC, the blood can clot in one location and hemorrhage in another location at the same time. Disseminated intravascular coagulation can cause fibrin deposits in small or medium blood vessels. This can affect many of the organs, especially the lungs, kidneys, liver and brain. Organ failure is a very serious consequence of clot formation in these or any organ in the body. With DIC you can have either internal or external bleeding. Internal bleeding…

“Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a life-threatening acquired pathologic process in which the clotting system is abnormally activated, resulting in widespread clot formation in the small vessels throughout the body. The pathophysiology is excess thrombin is generated, followed by deposition of fibrin strands in the body tissues.” (Ball, 2012) “The circulating fibrin fragments later begin to interfere with platelet aggregation and other aspects of the clotting mechanism, resulting…

Haemostasis is the ability to stop the flow of blood in an event of external injury or a breach in a reasonably sized vessel within minutes without affecting the rest of blood flow in the body. The haemostasis consists of four main processes vascular response, platelet response, Coagulation and Fibrinolysis. But when haemostasis is not stopped and goes overactive or get activated inappropriately activated can cause thrombosis and few other complications. The first three step in haemostasis is…

Briefly outline the function of the coagulation cascade outlining the similarities and differences between the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation cascade. The function of the coagulation cascade is to cleave thrombin which allows the formation of platelet clots when injury occurs. When a surface is damaged, the intrinsic pathway takes over and when a trauma occurs, the extrinsic pathway is activated. Both pathways come into a common pathway where prothrombin is used to form thrombin which is…

People can suffer from heart attacks, pulmonary emboli, acute kidney injury, portal vein thrombosis, splenomegaly, strokes all of which are life threatening. Pregnant women with factor V Leiden suffer from miscarriages and still births because of the clotting factor which poses a huge emotional strain on these women. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the genetic type and severity of the disorder, some individuals don’t experience complication while others do. Those who have signs and…

receive a diagnosis on whether they have hemophilia A or B and if that hemophilia is mild, moderate or severe. This is an important step in management because there are types of hemophilia that are treated differently. Those with hemophilia A are distinguished by the insufficient amount of factor VIII (FVIII), while those with hemophilia B lack sufficient amounts of factor IX (FIX) (Anderson et al. 2013). There are a few methodologies that are used to treat the various types of hemophilia, but…

prolonged bleeding. These individuals are diagnosed before they are five or six years old. However, they also may not be diagnosed until later in life. Hemophilia is caused by a defect in one of the genes that determine how the body makes blood clotting factor VIII or IX. Hemophilia A is caused by mutations in the FVIII which allows for proteins called coagulation factor VIII. While hemophilia B are from mutations in FIX that produces coagulation factor IX. Coagulation factors are proteins that…

Dr. Paul Arnor Owren was an award-winning Norwegian physician, known for having discovered the Factor V, which is a protein that is essential for clotting. “The Factor V deficiency was first described in a Norwegian patient in 1943 and reported by Dr. Paul Owren in 1947. Its incidence is about 1 in 1 million; fewer than 200 cases have been documented worldwide. Before there was a Factor V, there was also a factor 1, 2, 3, and 4. The factor 1 is fibrinogen which is a glycoprotein in vertebrates…

trauma (multiple falls), and recent major livery surgery (Schwartz & Rote, 2014, p. 1048-1050). Patients who are in their advanced ages are at risk in developing a VTE due to slower blood flow in their veins (Schwartz & Rote, 2014, p. 1048). Additionally, malignancy, trauma and post-operative state are examples of secondary or acquired hypercoagulability, which places individuals at risk for forming a VTE (Schwartz & Rote, 2014, p. 1049-1050). Moreover, one of Mrs. X’s surgeries was an extended…

thrombus can form when there is damage in the lining of a blood vessel, either in an artery or a vein (MedicineNet, 2015). In addition, clots occur when the blood stops circulating, becomes idle, or in diseases that result in abnormal blood clotting. There are times when a thrombus will form when it is not needed and can potentially lead to significant consequences. Damages can be greatly obvious, but at times other times, they are difficult to detect. Poor clotting with a minor injury to a…