Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An anticoagulant, commonly known as a blood thinner, is a chemical substance that prevents or reduces the coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. [1] Some occur naturally in blood-eating animals, such as leeches and mosquitoes, which help keep the bite area unclotted long enough for the animal to obtain blood.
[3] [4] Heparin is a blood anticoagulant that increases the activity of antithrombin. [5] It is used in the treatment of heart attacks and unstable angina. [3] It can be given intravenously or by injection under the skin. [3] Its anticoagulant properties make it useful to prevent blood clotting in blood specimen test tubes and kidney dialysis ...
Anticoagulants are considered more aggressive than antiplatelet drugs. [34] Anticoagulants work by interfering with various clotting factors to lengthen the time for coagulation. This can be achieved by either reducing the formation of bioactive clotting factors or accelerating the inactivation of clotting factors.
Warfarin is indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of venous thrombosis and its extension, pulmonary embolism; [9] prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic complications associated with atrial fibrillation and/or cardiac valve replacement; [9] and reduction in the risk of death, recurrent myocardial infarction, and thromboembolic events such as stroke or systemic embolization after ...
Antithrombin (AT) is a small glycoprotein that inactivates several enzymes of the coagulation system. It is a 464-amino-acid protein produced by the liver.It contains three disulfide bonds and a total of four possible glycosylation sites. α-Antithrombin is the dominant form of antithrombin found in blood plasma and has an oligosaccharide occupying each of its four glycosylation sites.
Prior to the introduction of direct factor Xa inhibitors, vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin were the only oral anticoagulants for over 60 years, and together with heparin have been the main blood thinners in use. People admitted to hospital requiring blood thinning were started on an infusion of heparin infusion, which thinned blood ...
Desmopressin is used to improve platelet function by activating arginine vasopressin receptor 1A. [57] Coagulation factor concentrates are used to treat hemophilia, to reverse the effects of anticoagulants, and to treat bleeding in people with impaired coagulation factor synthesis or increased consumption.
Protein C's anticoagulant role in the human body was first noted by Seegers et al. in 1960, [13] who gave protein C its original name, autoprothrombin II-a. [5]: 6822 Protein C was first isolated by Johan Stenflo from bovine plasma in 1976, and Stenflo determined it to be a vitamin K-dependent protein. [14]