Haemostasis
Haemostasis: why the balance of blood clotting matters
An educational overview of how the body stops bleeding, what happens when this balance is disturbed and why timely assessment matters.
The basics
What is haemostasis
Haemostasis is the set of mechanisms that stop bleeding when a blood vessel is damaged while keeping blood fluid inside the circulation.
It involves the vessel wall, platelets and clotting proteins. Once a clot has done its job, anticoagulant mechanisms gradually dissolve it.
Vessel and platelets
When a vessel is injured it narrows, and platelets gather at the site to form an initial plug.
Clotting
Clotting proteins reinforce the plug with strands of fibrin, forming a stable clot.
Clot breakdown
Once the vessel has healed, the clot gradually dissolves and the system returns to balance.
When the balance is disturbed
When equilibrium is lost
Thrombosis
The formation of a clot inside a blood vessel that partly or fully blocks blood flow. In arteries, thrombosis is linked to heart attack and ischaemic stroke; in veins, to venous thromboembolism.
Bleeding
A reduced ability of the blood to clot increases the risk of prolonged or heavy bleeding — after injuries or surgery, or with clotting disorders.
Cardiovascular risk
Heart attack and stroke are the main causes of death from cardiovascular disease. Clot formation in the arteries plays an important role in both.
Venous thromboembolism
VTE covers two related conditions: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
DVT
Deep vein thrombosis is a clot in a deep vein, most often in the leg.
PE
Pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot breaks loose and travels with the blood to the lungs. It requires urgent medical attention.
Haemostasis
Haemostasis: the balance between thrombosis and bleeding
Haemostasis is the body’s system that helps stop bleeding and prevent unnecessary blood clots. This balance can be disturbed in either direction.
Excessive clotting
Thrombosis
- AMI
- Ischaemic stroke
- VTE / PE
Haemostasis
Balance
Insufficient clotting
Bleeding
- Injuries, surgery, clotting disorders
Thrombosis and cardiovascular disease — general statistics
1 in 4
According to World Thrombosis Day, an initiative founded by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), 1 in 4 people worldwide die from conditions related to thrombosis.
19.8 million
According to WHO estimates, cardiovascular diseases caused 19.8 million deaths in 2022 — around 32% of all deaths worldwide.
85% of cardiovascular deaths were due to heart attack and stroke.
Source: World Health Organization — Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
1 in 4
According to WHO, 1 in 4 adults is predicted to experience a stroke in their lifetime.
Ischaemic stroke is caused by blocked blood flow; haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding.
Venous thromboembolism
≈25%
According to the CDC, sudden death is the first symptom in about a quarter of people with pulmonary embolism.
CDC statistics refer to data from the United States.
> 1/3
More than a third of VTE cases diagnosed each year are related to a recent hospitalisation. The CDC describes VTE as a leading cause of preventable hospital death in the United States.
Bleeding risk
The other side of haemostasis. Clotting disorders can involve not only excessive clot formation but also a reduced ability of the blood to clot, which increases the risk of prolonged or heavy bleeding.
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute — Bleeding Disorders
What this means for TromboCheck
These figures describe the scale of the medical problem, not the capabilities of a specific device. TromboCheck’s functions, indications and specifications will be published only after they are confirmed by documentation.
This section explains why the field matters. It is not a claim that TromboCheck can diagnose or prevent the conditions listed.
The scale of haemostasis disorders highlights the importance of accessible, clear tools that can be used closer to the patient. This is the field in which IMMG is creating TromboCheck — the first solution in the HomeLab series.
These materials are provided for information purposes and do not replace advice from a medical professional.
Abbreviations
- AMI
- acute myocardial infarction
- Stroke
- an acute disturbance of blood supply to the brain. A stroke can be ischaemic — caused by blocked blood flow — or haemorrhagic — caused by bleeding
- VTE
- venous thromboembolism — the umbrella term for DVT and PE
- DVT
- deep vein thrombosis
- PE
- pulmonary embolism
- POCT
- point-of-care testing — testing near the patient or where care is provided
Timeliness
Why timely assessment matters
Haemostasis disorders may go unnoticed for a long time, while their consequences often develop suddenly. That is why regular, timely monitoring — as prescribed and supervised by a doctor — matters to many people.
The more accessible a necessary test is, the easier it is to build into everyday medical practice — especially where a laboratory is far away.
TromboCheck
How this relates to TromboCheck
IMMG is creating TromboCheck as an accessible POCT solution in the field of haemostasis. The statistics on this page describe the scale of a medical problem and are not evidence of the effectiveness of any specific device. TromboCheck’s indications and specifications will be published only after they are confirmed by documentation.
These materials are provided for information purposes and do not replace advice from a medical professional.