Hemostasis facts for kids

Hemostasis or haemostasis is a process to prevent and stop bleeding, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage).

It is the first stage of wound healing. This involves coagulation, blood changing from a liquid to a gel. Intact blood vessels are important to moderating blood's tendency to form clots.

The word hemostasis ( sometimes) uses the combining forms hemo- and -stasis, New Latin from Ancient Greek αἱμο- haimo- (akin to αἷμα haîma), "blood", and στάσις stásis, "stasis", yielding "motionlessness or stopping of blood".

Images for kids

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  Aggregation of thrombocytes (platelets). Platelet-rich human blood plasma (left vial) is a turbid liquid. Upon addition of ADP, platelets are activated and start to aggregate, forming white flakes (right vial)

See also

In Spanish: Hemostasia para niños