Fibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic.[1] Primary fibrinolysis is a normal body process, while secondary fibrinolysis is the breakdown of clots due to a medicine, a medical disorder, or some other cause.[2]
In fibrinolysis, a fibrin clot, the product of coagulation, is broken down.[3] Its main enzyme plasmin cuts the fibrin mesh at various places, leading to the production of circulating fragments that are cleared by other proteases or by the kidney and liver.