New aspect of platelet behavior in heart attacks revealed: Clots can sense blood flow
Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - 21:00
in Health & Medicine
Atherosclerosis involves the build up of fatty tissue within arterial walls, creating unstable structures known as plaques. These plaques grow until they burst, rupturing the wall and causing the formation of a blood clot within the artery. These clots also grow until they block blood flow; this can cause a heart attack. New Penn research shows that clots forming under arterial-flow conditions have an unexpected ability to sense the surrounding blood moving over it.