HEMOSTASIS AND COAGULATION
Hemostasis is the body's normal response to stop bleeding and involves the processes of forming and ultimately degrading a fibrin clot at the site of a vessel injury. It involves the complex coordination of 4 components: (1) vascular endothelium, (2) platelet aggregation, (3) coagulation factor activation, and (4) fibrinolysis. 1 Upon damage or disruption to the vascular endothelium, primary hemostasis occurs within seconds, consisting of vasoconstriction of the damaged vessels and initiation of platelet