What is hemostasis?

Hemostasis is the permanent control system through which the human body manages to keep its blood from leaking outside its blood vessels. One of its main components is a complex coagulation cascade involving numerous blood clotting proteins (factors), platelets and tissue factor.

Tissue factor is a lipoprotein that is present on the membrane of certain cells. When it is exposed (usually as a result of local trauma), it binds to factor VII (FVII) (one of the central coagulation factors) and activates the tissue factor dependent coagulation pathway.

Many congenital or acquired coagulation disorders have been described in the medical community. As they negatively affect the coagulation cascade, most hemostasis and coagulation disorders are characterized by a tendency to bleed.

Hemophilia, among all congenital bleeding disorders, is the most common disorder. It imposes a heavy social and economic burden on both individual patients and society in general.