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How Blood Clots

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Reviewed/Revised Aug 2022 | Modified Sep 2022
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What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a clump of material that your body makes to plug up a bleeding blood vessel. Blood clots look like dark purple jelly. Clots are made up of things in your bloodstream:

  • Platelets (cell-like blood particles)

  • Red blood cells

  • Special proteins called clotting factors

After your blood vessel heals, the blood clot isn’t needed anymore. Then your body breaks up (dissolves) the clot.

How does blood clot?

Platelets, red blood cells, and clotting factors circulate in your bloodstream. That way, they can be right there when a blood vessel gets cut or damaged. When a blood vessel is cut, a blood clot forms:

  • The blood vessel narrows to slow the flow of blood

  • Platelets stick to the damaged area of the blood vessel

  • The platelets release substances that activate the clotting factor proteins

  • The clotting factors form a net that traps red blood cells and more platelets

The clump of material quickly grows until it's big enough to plug the blood vessel.

Blood Clots: Plugging the Breaks

When an injury causes a blood vessel wall to break, platelets are activated. They change shape from round to spiny, stick to the broken vessel wall and each other, and begin to plug the break. They also interact with other blood proteins to form fibrin. Fibrin strands form a net that entraps more platelets and blood cells, producing a clot that plugs the break.

Blood Clots: Plugging the Breaks
Blood Clots: Plugging the Breaks
VIDEO

What can go wrong with the clotting process?

Too much clotting

Not enough clotting

Some health problems keep your body from clotting enough. Even small damage to a blood vessel may lead to serious bruising and bleeding Bruising and Bleeding Bruising or bleeding after an injury is normal. However, some people have blood clotting disorders that cause them to bruise or bleed too easily, such as after very minor injuries or even no... read more . You may not have enough platelets, or they may not work properly. Or you might not have enough clotting factors. Some medicines affect your ability to form clots.

How do doctors treat blood clots?

If your blood is clotting too much, doctors may give you:

  • Drugs such as aspirin that block platelets

  • Drugs that block your clotting factors

Drugs that block your clotting factors are sometimes called "blood thinners."

If you have a dangerous blood clot in your brain or heart, doctors may give you a clot-dissolving drug. Clot-dissolving drugs can also dissolve helpful blood clots, so you may start bleeding (but this is rare).

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