What is platelet function?
Platelets are vital for normal blood clotting. Produced in the bone marrow, they circulate in the blood until they are needed. When there is an injury to a blood vessel, platelets adhere to the injury site (with the help of von Willebrand factor, which acts as the “glue”), aggregate with other platelets, release compounds that stimulate further aggregation, and form a loose platelet plug in a process called primary hemostasis. At the same time, platelets support the coagulation cascade, a series of steps that involves the sequential activation of clotting factors. This secondary hemostasis process culminates in the formation of strands of fibrin that are woven through the loose platelet plug, cross-linked to form a fibrin net, and compressed to form a stable clot that remains in place until the injury has healed. When the clot is no longer needed, other factors break the clot down and remove it. If there are insufficient platelets, or if they are not functioning normally, a patient may
