Gastrointestinal Failure
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen For patients who survive the first 48 hours of intensive care, multiple organ failure (MOF) is the leading cause of death among patients in the intensive…
Cardiovascular Failure
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Cardiovascular failure is deterioration of cardiac function or vascular tone that results in impairment in end-organ perfusion. Collapse of the cardiovascular system can be either the…
Platelet Morphology, Biochemistry, and Function
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY The approximately 1 trillion platelets that circulate in an adult human are small anucleate cell fragments adapted to adhere to damaged blood vessels, to aggregate…
The Vascular Purpuras
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY Purpura, the clinical manifestation of blood extravasation into mucosa or skin, results from various conditions, including rheumatologic, infectious, dermatologic, traumatic, and hematologic disorders. This chapter…
Atherothrombosis: Disease Initiation, Progression, and Treatment
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY The consequences of atherosclerotic vascular disease are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed countries of the world and are rapidly approaching…
Hemophilia A And Hemophilia B
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY Hemophilias A and B are the only two bleeding disorders inherited in a sex-linked fashion. The gene for both disorders is on the long arm…
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of the Coagulation Factors and Pathways of Hemostasis
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY The coagulation cascade consists of a complex network of reactions that are essential for the conversion of zymogens into enzymes and of inactive procofactors into…
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY When procoagulants are produced or introduced into the blood and overcome the anticoagulant mechanisms of coagulation, intravascular thrombin is generated systemically, which can lead to…
Venous Thrombosis
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY Venous thromboembolism, consisting of deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism, is a common disorder with an estimated 900,000 patients each year in the United States…
Fibrinolysis and Thrombolysis
SUMMARY Print Section Listen SUMMARY Improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of fibrinolysis has led to major advances in fibrinolytic and antifibrinolytic therapy. Characterization of the genes for all the…
