How to Clot Blood
Blood clotting is the process in which liquid blood turns into gel. Blood clotting is also called coagulation. Blood clots form naturally when the body is subject to injury or trauma, such as a cut, scrape or puncture wound. These blood clots, followed by scab formation, prevent massive blood loss from the body. Platelets--small fragments of blood cells--and several clotting factors travel in the bloodstream all the time. When the body is injured platelets stick to the injured blood vessel. Chemical signals are sent also sent out, activating the clotting factors to form a blood clot. Blood clots will usually form in healthy individuals without medications or intervention. But, there are some steps you can take to help stem the flow of blood and aid coagulation.
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Instructions
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Apply direct pressure. Press a clean cloth or sterile dressing firmly against the wound. Use additional dressings one on top of another if blood begins to seep through the first dressing.
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Elevate the wound. Raise the wounded area above the heart. This will reduce blood flow to the wound. Fast blood flow can dislodge clotting factors--making it hard for coagulation to occur.
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Press the pressure point until bleeding is controlled. A pressure point is an area on the body where an artery lies over a bone and you can feel a pulse. For example, the pressure point in the arm is the brachial artery. The brachial artery can be found on the inside of the upper arm where the triceps and biceps muscles meet.
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Apply a pressure bandage. Wrap a roll of gauze or piece of cloth around the wound. Tie or tape the bandage to hold the dressings firmly in place on the wound.
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Never remove a dressing to see if the blood clot has formed. You risk removing the blood clot along with the dressing. This could cause the wound to bleed again.
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Tips & Warnings
Disease and medication can both inhibit coagulation. You can help clot blood by receiving transfusions or direct injections of clotting factors. Anticoagulants, like aspirin, are drugs that inhibit clot formation. Normal coagulation usually reoccurs once you stop taking the medication.
Sometimes blood clots form internally without any noticeable trauma. An undesirable blood clot is called a thrombus. A thrombus forms when platelets get caught and pile up on a jagged edge of a blood vessel. Normally, the lining of the blood vessels are smooth but age, injury or illness can affect their quality. A thrombus can form in the vessels of the heart due to atherosclerosis--or the build up of fat along the vessel wall. A thrombus can grow too large and block the flow of blood to the heart muscle causing a heart attack.
