Hematology 2

Hematology came from the Greek word “heme” which means blood and “logy/logus” means study. Basically, hematology is a branch of medical field concerning the study of blood and blood disease. One of the topics that will be discussed in Hematology 2 tells us about the platelets and its hemostatic disorder.

First, what are platelets? Platelets are a component of blood whose function is to stop bleeding by clumping and clotting blood vessel injuries. There main function is to maintain hemostasis. They are fragments of cytoplasm that are derived from the megakaryocytes of the bone marrow, and then enter the circulation.

Clot is a term wherein it is a normal function of blood cells that is used to repair damaged blood vessel walls. Blood clots become a problem when the blood "clots" are in an artery or vein inappropriately. Arterial blood clots may cause rupture of atherosclerosis plaques, embolus from another location, and artery injury. Venous blood blots may cause stasis and chemical factors that cause the blood to clot abnormally. The medical term for a blood clot is a thrombus (plural: thrombi). An embolus means that the clot breaks away from its original location and travels through the bloodstream to another location.

Hemostasis is a process wherein the bleeding stops, meaning it keeps blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage). The body's hemostasis system requires careful regulation in order to work properly. If the blood does not clot sufficiently, it may be due to bleeding disorders such as hemophilia; this requires careful investigation. Over-active clotting can also cause problems; thrombosis, where blood clots form abnormally, can potentially cause embolisms, where blood clots break off and subsequently become lodged in a vein or artery. Hemostasis disorders can develop for many different reasons. They may be congenital, due to a deficiency or defect in an individual's platelets or clotting factors.