HOW BLOOD CLOTS: The process by which blood clots and prevents wounds from continual bleeding is called coagulation. Clotting begins almost immediately after the lining of a blood vessel is damaged by an injury. Once blood is exposed to certain proteins, platelets form a plug at the site of the injury. Other proteins then form fibrin strands, which strengthen the plug. The coagulation process works in conjunction with the body’s immune system to trap invading microbes in the blood clot and help protect the body. Problems with coagulation may predispose a person to hemorrhage or thrombosis (the formation of a blood clot within the vessel), causing an obstruction of blood flow.
The Materials Research Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.