A coagulation profile may be performed to confirm normal clotting function before a procedure which may cause bleeding, or in conditions associated with bleeding, for example from the respiratory, urinary, or gastrointestinal tract.

A coagulation profile may also be requested by your doctor if there is a concern about easy bruising or bleeding. This may happen because of hereditary conditions such as Haemophilia, or acquired conditions such as liver failure, or severe infections.

A condition called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) may occur in critically ill patients, from a variety of possible causes. DIC affects all the components of the coagulation profile.

Envenomation from some types of snakebite may also cause a coagulopathy – an abnormality of the normal clotting process. Warfarin therapy is a medical cause of easy bleeding, and shows up in the INR component of the coagulation profile.