Platelets, also called thrombocytes (thromb- + -cyte, "blood clot cell"), are a component of blood whose function (along with the coagulation factors) is to stop bleeding by clumping and clotting blood vessel injuries. Platelets have no cell nucleus, they are fragments of cytoplasm that are derived from the megakaryocytes of the bone marrow and then enter the circulation. These unactivated platelets are biconvex discoid (lens-shaped) structures, 2–3 µm in greatest diameter. Platelets are found only in mammals, whereas in other animals (e.g. birds, amphibians) thrombocytes circulate as intact mononuclear cells.
The main function of platelets is to contribute to hemostasis. The process of stopping bleeding at the site of interrupted endothelium. The normal range for platelets in healthy individuals is 150,000 to 450,000 per cubic millimeter. In a series of CAHD and stroke patients…
