Patient Care Technician (PCT) AAH Practice Exam

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What is the primary role of platelets in the body?

To transport oxygen in the blood
To help in the clotting process
To regulate body temperature
To assist in the digestion of food

The correct answer is: To help in the clotting process

The primary role of platelets in the body is to help in the clotting process. Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are small cell fragments that play a crucial role in hemostasis, which is the body's ability to stop bleeding. When a blood vessel is injured, platelets aggregate at the site of the injury, adhere to the exposed tissue, and each other. This aggregation forms a temporary "platelet plug" that helps to reduce blood loss and serves as a foundation for the subsequent steps of the clotting process, including the coagulation cascade leading to the formation of fibrin, which solidifies the plug into a stable clot. The other options are associated with different physiological functions: transporting oxygen in the blood is the primary role of red blood cells; regulating body temperature is primarily managed by the hypothalamus and various bodily mechanisms; and assisting in the digestion of food is mainly the function of the digestive system, including organs such as the stomach and intestines. Therefore, the specific function of platelets as facilitators of the clotting process distinguishes them in this context.