ABSTRACT
Hemostasis refers to the process that minimizes blood loss following injury. It encompasses aspects of primary hemostasis, secondary hemostasis (usually thought of as clotting or coagulation), as well as the induction of local vasoconstriction that serves to limit loss of blood. Although not technically part of the hemostatic process, fibrinolysis is the important final step of the process that functions to return blood flow to its pre-injury state by removing the clot once it has served its purpose. All phases of hemostasis and fibrinolysis commence as part of a delicately balanced system that, when dysregulated this can lead to excessive hemorrhage or inappropriate thrombosis. An understanding of the normal physiology is, therefore, crucial to an understanding of the pathology when imbalances occur.
