Maintenance of blood fluidity and patency of the vascular system is crucial for normal human physiology. The term ‘haemostasis’ refers to the normal response of the vessel to injury by forming a clot that serves to limit haemorrhage. Thrombosis is pathological clot formation that results when haemostasis is excessively activated in the absence of bleeding. Under normal physiological conditions there is a delicate equilibrium between the pathological states of hypercoagulability and hypocoagulability in the circulating blood. Both inherited and acquired disorders can result in either bleeding or thrombosis.
Thrombosis may occur in veins (venous thrombosis) or in arteries (arterial thrombosis). Venous thrombosis leads to congestion of the affected part of the body, while arterial thrombosis affects the blood supply and leads to damage of the tissue supplied by that artery (ischaemia and necrosis). Fragments of either an arterial or a venous thrombus can also break off as an embolus which can travel through the circulation and cause thromboembolism. Accurate clinical and laboratory diagnosis of these disorders is therefore not only critical for the prevention of significant morbidity and mortality but improves patient care and quality of life through prevention and treatment of future bleeding and thrombotic events.
Our understanding of these physiological and pathophysiological conditions has also improved significantly over recent years. This has not only resulted in improved diagnosis but in the evolution of state of the art modern laboratory testing and therapies for both bleeding and thrombotic disorders. As the subject is also rapidly and continually evolving, this course aims to continually give up to date training from established clinicians and scientists in the field.
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