anticoagulant

(noun)

A substance that prevents coagulation; that is, it stops blood from clotting.

Related Terms

  • coumadins
  • EDTA
  • heparin

Examples of anticoagulant in the following topics:

  • Anticoagulants

    • An anticoagulant is a substance that prevents coagulation (clotting) of blood.
    • Coumadins such as warfarin are oral anticoagulant pharmaceuticals that antagonize the effects of vitamin K1.
    • It takes at least 48 to 72 hours for the anticoagulant effect to develop.
    • Oral anticoagulants are used widely as poisons for mammalian pests, especially rodents.
    • Another type of anticoagulant is the direct thrombin inhibitor.
  • Blood Plasma

    • Normally, anticoagulants and fibrinolytics in the plasma, such as plasmin and heparin, break up fibrin clots and inactivate thrombin.
    • However, during endothelial injury, damaged cells will release tissue factor, another type of clotting factor that causes a cascade of thrombin production that will overpower the anticoagulants and cause a clotting response.
    • Two tubes of EDTA-anticoagulated blood.
  • Fibrinolysis

    • Clots may also be prevented or kept from worsening through the use of blood thinners (anticoagulants).
    • Aspirin has anticoagulant properties because it inhibits cyoclo-oxygenase dependent pathways of platelet activation, which can prevent clotting from worsening.
    • Heparin is a fast-acting anticoagulant produced by the body and used as a drug which inhibits the activity of thrombin.
  • Role of Vitamin K

    • Vitamin K also synthesizes Protein C, Protein S, and Protein Z, anticoagulant proteins that degrade specific coagulation factors, preventing excessive thrombosis following the initial coagulation cascade.
    • Vitamin K can be inhibited by the anticoagulant drug warfarin, which acts as an antagonist for vitamin K.
    • Calcium is also required to to synthesize the anticoagulant Protein C (along with vitamin K).
  • Coagulation

    • It also activates more factor V, which later acts as an anticoagulant with inhibitor protein C, and factor XIII, which covalently bonds to fibrin to strengthen its attachment to the platelets.
    • Many anticoagulants prevent unnecessary coagulation, and those that genetically lack the ability to produce these molecules will be more susceptible to coagulation.
  • Complete Blood Count

    • A phlebotomist collects the sample, drawing the blood into a test tube containing an anticoagulant (EDTA, sometimes citrate) to stop it from clotting.
  • Withdrawing Blood

    • The purple tube contains EDTA, an anticoagulant, and is typically used for a complete blood count.
  • Heart Valve Disorders

    • In individuals who require an artificial heart valve, consideration must be made for deterioration of the valve over time (for bioprosthetic valves) versus the risks of anticoagulation during pregnancy.
  • West Nile Virus

    • The mosquito injects saliva which contains an anesthetic, and an anticoagulant into the puncture wound; and in infected mosquitoes, the West Nile virus.
  • Physical Characteristics and Volume

    • Two tubes of EDTA-anticoagulated blood.
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