Blood Clotting and Platelets

Blood Vessels and Cuts

• When we get a cut, it causes holes in the walls of our blood vessels, which can lead to unhealthy blood loss.

Coagulation Process

• Coagulation is the process of liquid blood becoming a solid clot to stop bleeding.
• It involves the formation of clots that work like natural Band-Aids to stop bleeding from inside the blood vessels.
• Three substances found in blood work together to make clots: platelets, clotting factors, and blood cells.

Platelets

• Platelets are tiny sticky cells found in blood.
• They spring into action when a blood vessel is damaged, responding to chemical signals sent through the blood.
• Platelets rush to the site of the cut and bleeding, sticking together and to the sides of the cut to plug the hole and stop the bleeding.
• They form a plug, which is the first step of the coagulation process.

Clotting Factors

• Clotting factors are proteins that help the platelets stick together and build fibers around the platelet plug.
• They can be thought of as spiders building a sticky web, making the plug stronger and keeping it in place.

Blood Cells

• Red blood cells and white blood cells can get caught in the web of platelets and fibers, becoming part of the clot.
• These extra cells help strengthen the clot.

Clot Function and Dissolution

• A clot stops blood from leaking out of a broken blood vessel while a cut heals.
• After a cut heals, the body breaks down the clot.

Learn about the natural process of blood clotting and the role of platelets in healing wounds. Understand how the body forms clots to prevent excessive blood loss.