A pathway leading to hypoxia-induced vascular fibrin deposition.

Hypoxemia has long been associated with vascular fibrin formation leading to thrombosis. This review describes a pathway through which mononuclear phagocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells upregulate tissue factor under hypoxic conditions. Increased expression of tissue factor triggers events leading to vascular fibrin deposition, providing insight into a novel mechanism potentially underlying thrombosis in ischemic vasculature.