Blood clotting: problems and solutions

In today’s world blood clotting is known throughout the continent, however the correct terminology would be a thrombus, the clotting of the blood can lead to a variety of problems with the human body, as the human body is an entire physical structure. This essay will explain the threat and problems to blood clotting as well as with many problems with the body there are also solutions, as well as discussing any ethical issues surrounding blood clots. The blood clot was first explained and research by Rudolph carl virchow in 1848, However blood clotting is considered as a very complex process. Below is a basic diagram to show a blood clot:

(Blood_clot_diagram.png‎ (468 × 295 pixels, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/png / Author: en:User:Persian Poet Gal / date produced: 2006-12-14)

The blood is very important to humans as it is just like oil in a car engine. The blood contains:

  • Plasma - makes up about 60% of the blood's volume in the body. Plasma is mainly made from water, but contains many different proteins and other chemicals, an example would be hormones.

  • Blood cells - make up about 40% of the blood's volume. Blood cells are made in the bone marrow by blood 'stem' cells. The blood cells that are in the body are different types; they are red cells and white cells.

  • Red cells - give blood the red color. A constant new supply of red blood cells is needed to replace old cells that break down. Millions are released into the bloodstream from the bone marrow each day. Red cells contain chemical called hemoglobin. This binds to oxygen, and takes oxygen from the lungs to different parts of the body
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  • White cells- different types of white cells such as neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes, basophils. They are a part of the immune system and are mainly involved in combating infection.

  • Platelets - help the blood to clot if we cut ourselves

A Blood clot is when for example, when you are injured, the injury activates a complex chain of events, these are:

  • Vasoconstriction - is a narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contracting of the muscular wall of the vessels.

  • Platelet aggregation - The platelets adhere to each other via adhesion receptors or integrins, and to the endothelial cells in the wall of the blood vessel forming a haemostatic plug
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  • Coagulation – blood clots are formed

These 3 factors lead to clotting.  The clotting of the blood stops bleeding without hindering blood flow through the injured vessels.

The complex process of blood clotting starts when fibrinogen, and plasma protein is activated by thrombin, which then forms fibrin fibers. Once these fibres are formed, they entrap red blood cells and platelets, which lead to a blood clot. This thrombus which is formed, is subjected to large shear forces in blood vessels, due to several hundred picoNewtons (pN) . Depending on how the clot is able to withstand these ...

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