bleeding time

A medical diagnostic. This is the time for the bleeding to stop from an artificially made superficial incision on the forearm. The mechanism to stop bleeding involves vascular contraction, platelet function, and the participation of the non-clotting portion of the Factor VIII.

Bleeding time may be normal in disorders of the coagulation system. Normal range is 1 to 8 minutes. Bleeding time is elevated in the following conditions:

• decreased platelet count
• decreased platelet function
• increased prothrombin time
• uremia
• certain drugs: aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs

From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.