ABSTRACT
Hemostasis is traditionally defined as the physiologic process whereby bleeding is
antagonized and possibly stopped to minimize blood loss. The first medical description
of the clinical and inherited features of hemostasis can be dated back more than 1000
years, when Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn ‘Abbas al-Andalusi al-Zahrawi’ medical treatise
provided some initial insights into this puzzling process. Since then, continuous
and revolutionary scientific developments have contributed to decoding several aspects
of this intricate but essential physiologic phenomenon, providing a reliable model
to explain the leading mechanisms involved. Although the point at which bleeding stops
is commonly referred to as “coagulation,” blood coagulation is actually only one part
of a two-part hemostatic process that develops through sequential steps referred to
as primary and secondary hemostasis. Throughout its activation and development, the
coagulation cascade is strictly regulated by a series of natural inhibitors, which
prevent unnecessary and excessive clotting. The aim of this article is to provide
a concise overview of the major discoveries and past and current perspectives in coagulation
and hemostasis.
KEYWORDS
Coagulation - hemorrhage - hemostasis - history - thrombosis
REFERENCES
Kitab al-tasrîf liman ajaza an al-talîf fi al-tibb
. Available at: http://www.museumwnf.net/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;ma;Mus01_F;16;en Accessed February 27, 2009 Cone and platelet analyzer . In Michelson AD Platelets. London, UK; Academic Press 2002: 337-345
giuseppe.lippi@univr.it
