What it means
When a blood vessel is injured, plateletPLAYT-litA tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.Full entry stick to the site, and a chain of clotting factors made mostly in the liverLIV-erA large organ in the right upper abdomen that processes nutrients, makes bile and clotting factors, and clears drugs and toxins from the blood.hepat/o liverFull entry builds a mesh of fibrin that turns liquid blood into a clot. Clotting that is too weak causes bleeding, as in hemophiliahee-muh-FIL-ee-uhAn inherited disorder in which the blood lacks a clotting factor, so it does not clot normally.hem/o blood-philia attraction, tendencyFull entry ; clotting that is too strong or in the wrong place causes thrombosisthrom-BOH-sisThe forming of a blood clot (a thrombus) inside a blood vessel or the heart.thromb/o clot-osis conditionFull entry . Lab tests of clotting include the PT/international normalized ratioin-ter-NASH-uh-nul NOR-muh-lyzd RAY-shee-ohA blood test result that shows how long blood takes to clot, reported in a standard way so labs everywhere can compare it.Full entry and aPTT.
For the nurse
Before procedures and when giving anticoagulants, check platelet counts and clotting tests, and watch for bleeding or for signs of clots.
At a glance
| Spanish | coagulación |
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Related terms
thrombosis
The forming of a blood clot (a thrombus) inside a blood vessel or the heart.
platelet
A tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.
anticoagulant
A drug that slows the blood's ability to form clots.
international normalized ratio
A blood test result that shows how long blood takes to clot, reported in a standard way so labs everywhere can compare it.
hemophilia
An inherited disorder in which the blood lacks a clotting factor, so it does not clot normally.