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What is the Extrinsic Clotting Cascade? – Video
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Video at a Glance
- Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) from damaged red blood cells initiates a clotting cascade.
- Inflammation without cellular injury initiates the extrinsic pathway.
- The inside of a blood vessel contains endothelial cells and red blood cells, surrounded by smooth muscle cells outside of the membrane.
- Periods of exercise or stress increase blood flow through the vessel and release a small amount of ATP, which the muscle cells’ receptors recognize and compensatorily respond via cell dilation.
- When red blood cells are lysed, a large amount of ATP is released, which collides with P2X7 receptors, initiating a response.
- Monocytes and neutrophils may express tissue factor without energy via other stimuli.
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