Class Enrollment

Hemostasis, the Clotting Cascade, and Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy (90 Minutes)

 

This 90-minute continuing education course provides an in-depth review of hemostasis and the clotting cascade, with a focus on prehospital and emergency trauma care. Participants will explore normal clot formation—from vascular constriction and platelet activation through the coagulation cascade and fibrin stabilization—and gain a practical understanding of how bleeding control occurs at the cellular and biochemical level.

The course will then examine how trauma disrupts normal coagulation, including the physiologic effects of the Lethal Diamond of Trauma—hypothermia, acidosis, hypocalcemia, and coagulopathy/hypoperfusion—and how these factors rapidly impair clot formation, stability, and hemostatic function. Additional discussion will cover the impact of common medications such as anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, thrombolytics, and select EMS medications on clotting and hemorrhage management.

By the end of the course, providers will be able to better recognize trauma-induced coagulopathy, understand the mechanisms behind impaired hemostasis, and apply this knowledge to bleeding control, resuscitation priorities, and patient management in the field.