• 17 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Hemostasis Diagram

A cut in a small blood vessel, one drawing for each of the three phases.

Hemostasis Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Endothelium
  2. Collagen fibers
  3. Vascular spasm
  4. Platelet
  5. Platelet adhesion
  6. Von Willebrand factor (VWF)
  7. Platelet plug
  8. Tissue factor
  9. Extrinsic pathway
  10. Intrinsic pathway
  11. Factor X
  12. Common pathway
  13. Prothrombin
  14. Thrombin
  15. Fibrinogen
  16. Fibrin threads
  17. Blood clot

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the cells of the blood

All 17 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Vascular phase 3

  1. Endothelium The thin lining of the vessel, torn at the cut.
  2. Collagen fibers Fibers under the lining, laid bare by the cut.
  3. Vascular spasm The muscle of the wall tightens and narrows the vessel.

Platelet phase 4

  1. Platelet A small cell fragment carried in the blood.
  2. Platelet adhesion The first platelets stick to the torn edges.
  3. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) Strings fixed to the exposed collagen. Platelets grip them.
  4. Platelet plug Platelets pile onto each other until they plug the cut.

Coagulation phase 10

  1. Tissue factor A protein on damaged cells outside the vessel.
  2. Extrinsic pathway The shorter way in. It starts at tissue factor.
  3. Intrinsic pathway The longer way in. It starts inside the vessel, at collagen.
  4. Factor X Where the two pathways meet. Both activate it.
  5. Common pathway From factor X on, one shared path to fibrin.
  6. Prothrombin An inactive protein in the blood, also called factor II.
  7. Thrombin The active enzyme made from prothrombin. It makes fibrin.
  8. Fibrinogen A dissolved blood protein, also called factor I.
  9. Fibrin threads Insoluble strands that thrombin makes from fibrinogen.
  10. Blood clot Fibrin threads bind the platelet plug and blood cells together.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 and kept only where two of these use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Hemostasis, Platelet plug, Platelet, Coagulation, Thrombin, Fibrin, Fibrinogen, Tissue factor and Thrombus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemostasis and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coagulation : vascular spasm (vasoconstriction), the platelet plug and coagulation as the three steps; collagen exposed at the injury; platelet adhesion and aggregation; the tissue factor (extrinsic) and contact activation (intrinsic) pathways and the common pathway; prothrombin, fibrinogen and fibrin threads. (2) A medical reference manual for professionals, Overview of Hemostasis, https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/hematology-and-oncology/hemostasis/overview-of-hemostasis : local vasoconstriction; platelets adhering to strings of von Willebrand factor anchored to exposed collagen and forming aggregates; tissue factor and factor X; thrombin converting fibrinogen to fibrin; platelets and fibrin forming a clot. (3) A physiology teaching site, Coagulation, https://teachmephysiology.com/immune-system/haematology/coagulation/ : the extrinsic, intrinsic and common pathways, tissue factor released by damaged cells outside the circulation, collagen starting the intrinsic pathway, factor X, prothrombin (factor II) to thrombin, soluble fibrinogen (factor I) to insoluble fibrin strands. No OpenStax page was read. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This hemostasis diagram shows how a cut in a small blood vessel is sealed, phase by phase. Classroom physiology only: the page gives no medical advice.

Read the full guide

Vascular and platelet phases

A cut tears the endothelium and lays bare the collagen under it. First the muscle of the wall tightens: a vascular spasm that narrows the vessel. Then platelets stick to the torn edges, held by strings of von Willebrand factor. More platelets pile on until a platelet plug fills the cut.

Coagulation phase

Two pathways start the clotting factors. The extrinsic pathway begins at tissue factor, on damaged cells outside the vessel. The intrinsic pathway begins inside it. Both activate factor X. Along the common pathway prothrombin becomes thrombin, and thrombin turns fibrinogen into fibrin threads that bind the plug into a clot.

  • The molecules are simple shapes, drawn far larger than life.
  • The quiz accepts vasoconstriction, VWF, factor II and factor I.

Questions and answers

What are the three phases of hemostasis?

The vascular phase, when the vessel narrows; the platelet phase, when platelets plug the cut; and the coagulation phase, when fibrin threads bind the plug into a clot.

What happens in the coagulation phase of hemostasis?

Clotting factors activate one another in a chain. The extrinsic and intrinsic pathways meet at factor X, prothrombin becomes thrombin, and thrombin turns fibrinogen into fibrin. An art labeling activity on this phase asks for these names. The drawing is our own.

What happens in the platelet phase of hemostasis?

Platelets stick to the collagen laid bare by the cut, held there by von Willebrand factor. That is adhesion. More platelets then stick to the first ones, which is aggregation, and together they form the platelet plug.

What is the difference between the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways?

The extrinsic pathway starts outside the blood, at tissue factor on damaged cells. The intrinsic pathway starts inside the vessel, when a clotting factor meets exposed collagen, and has more steps. Both lead to factor X.

More quizzes

Show 7 more

Browse Human Body Quizzes