PrepCatPrepCat
← Back to Section
Science14/10/2026

Blood Clotting Cascade: A Visual Explainer

A single flowchart tracing how a damaged blood vessel is sealed — from the Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways through to a stable fibrin clot.

Blood Clotting Cascade: A Visual Explainer

📌 Revision Pointers

  • Extrinsic Pathway (Tissue Factor route) and Intrinsic Pathway (contact-activation route) both converge at Factor X

  • Common Pathway: Factor Xa → Thrombin → Fibrin → cross-linked by Factor XIIIa into a stable mesh

  • Platelet plug (primary haemostasis) is reinforced by the fibrin mesh (secondary haemostasis)

The coagulation cascade, in one diagram: Vascular Injury → Extrinsic/Intrinsic Pathways → Common Pathway → Stable Fibrin Clot.

💭 Conclusion

A high-yield NCERT Physiology diagram, frequently tested in UPSC Prelims for factor-naming and pathway sequencing.