Coagulation cascade and major classes of anticoagulants
Class identifiers
ATC code
B01
External links
MeSH
D00534-class
Legal status
In Wikidata
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.[2][3]
As a class of medications, anticoagulants are used in therapy for thrombotic disorders.[4] Oral anticoagulants (OACs) are taken by many people in pill or tablet form, and various intravenous anticoagulant dosage forms are used in hospitals.[5][6] Some anticoagulants are used in medical equipment, such as sample tubes, blood transfusion bags, heart–lung machines, and dialysis equipment.[7][8] One of the first anticoagulants, warfarin, was initially approved as a rodenticide.[9]
Anticoagulants are closely related to antiplatelet drugs and thrombolytic drugs by manipulating the various pathways of blood coagulation.[10] Specifically, antiplatelet drugs inhibit platelet aggregation (clumping together), whereas anticoagulants inhibit specific pathways of the coagulation cascade, which happens after the initial platelet aggregation but before the formation of fibrin and stable aggregated platelet products.[11][12]
Common anticoagulants include warfarin and heparin.[13]
^"Overview: Anticoagulant medicines". Health A to Z. NHS. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
^Azzopardi EA, Whitaker IS, Rozen WM, Naderi N, Kon M (October 2011). "Chemical and mechanical alternatives to leech therapy: a systematic review and critical appraisal". Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery. 27 (8). Thieme Medical Publishers: 481–6. doi:10.1055/s-0031-1284233. eISSN 0743-684X. PMID 21780018. S2CID 260192613.
^Ha YR, Oh SR, Seo ES, Kim BH, Lee DK, Lee SJ (April 2014). "Detection of heparin in the salivary gland and midgut of Aedes togoi". The Korean Journal of Parasitology. 52 (2). The Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine: 183–8. doi:10.3347/kjp.2014.52.2.183. eISSN 2982-6799. PMC 4028456. PMID 24850962.
^Yoo HH, Nunes-Nogueira VS, Boas, PJ (7 February 2020). "Anticoagulant treatment for subsegmental pulmonary embolism". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020 (2): CD010222. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010222.pub4. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 7004894. PMID 32030721.
^Cohen AT, Hamilton M, Mitchell SA, Phatak H, Liu X, Bird A, et al. (2015-12-30). ten Cate H (ed.). "Comparison of the Novel Oral Anticoagulants Apixaban, Dabigatran, Edoxaban, and Rivaroxaban in the Initial and Long-Term Treatment and Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis". PLOS One. 10 (12): e0144856. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1044856C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144856. PMC 4696796. PMID 26716830.
^Almutairi AR, Zhou L, Gellad WF, Lee JK, Slack MK, Martin JR, Lo-Ciganic WH (July 2017). "Effectiveness and Safety of Non-vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants for Atrial Fibrillation and Venous Thromboembolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses". Clinical Therapeutics. 39 (7): 1456–1478.e36. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2017.05.358. PMID 28668628.
^Banfi G, Salvagno GL, Lippi G (2007-01-01). "The role of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as in vitro anticoagulant for diagnostic purposes". Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. 45 (5): 565–76. doi:10.1515/CCLM.2007.110. PMID 17484616. S2CID 23824484.
^Dobrovolskaia MA, McNeil SE (May 2015). "Safe anticoagulation when heart and lungs are "on vacation"". Annals of Translational Medicine. 3 (Suppl 1): S11. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2015.02.03. PMC 4437941. PMID 26046056.
^Pirmohamed M (November 2006). "Warfarin: almost 60 years old and still causing problems". British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 62 (5): 509–11. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2006.02806.x. PMC 1885167. PMID 17061959.
^Iqbal AM, Lopez RA, Hai O (2020). "Antiplatelet Medications". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. PMID 30725747. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
^Harter K, Levine M, Henderson SO (January 2015). "Anticoagulation drug therapy: a review". The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 16 (1): 11–7. doi:10.5811/westjem.2014.12.22933. PMC 4307693. PMID 25671002.
^Winslow R, Johnson A (2007-12-10). "Race Is on for the Next Blood Thinner". The Wall Street Journal. p. A12. Retrieved 2008-01-06. ...in a market now dominated by one of the oldest mainstay pills in medicine: the blood thinner warfarin. At least five next-generation blood thinners are in advanced testing to treat or prevent potentially debilitating or life-threatening blood clots in surgery and heart patients. First candidates could reach the market in 2009.
An anticoagulant, commonly known as a blood thinner, is a chemical substance that prevents or reduces the coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting...
Lupus anticoagulant is an immunoglobulin that binds to phospholipids and proteins associated with the cell membrane. Its name is a partial misnomer, as...
blood test results spaced at least three months apart that detect lupus anticoagulant, anti-apolipoprotein antibodies, and/or anti-cardiolipin antibodies...
poisoning risk to animals that hunt or scavenge the dead corpses of rats. Anticoagulants are defined as chronic (death occurs one to two weeks after ingestion...
medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. Heparin is a blood anticoagulant that increases the activity of antithrombin. It is used in the treatment...
of anticoagulation therapy is 0.8–1.2. The target range for INR in anticoagulant use (e.g. warfarin) is 2 to 3. In some cases, if more intense anticoagulation...
Warfarin is an anticoagulant used as a medication under several brand names including Coumadin. While the drug is described as a "blood thinner", it does...
acquired protein C deficiency following treatment with anti-vitamin K anticoagulants (4-hydroxycoumarins, such as warfarin). Warfarin necrosis is a rare...
Anticoagulant therapy can decrease the relative risk of ischemic stroke in those with atrial fibrillation by 67% Warfarin is a common anticoagulant used...
Apixaban, sold under the brand name Eliquis, is an anticoagulant medication used to treat and prevent blood clots and to prevent stroke in people with...
plasma is separated from the blood by blood fractionation containing an anticoagulant in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the tube...
a blue-top tube is a 5 ml test tube containing sodium citrate as an anticoagulant, used to collect blood for coagulation and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase...
for blood samples collected in test tubes containing some form of the anticoagulant EDTA. EDTA chelates calcium to prevent clotting. EDTA is preferred for...
of surgery. Treatment is with anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin or one of the direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs). These are recommended...
subcutaneous injection, trauma and anticoagulant therapy. With an ageing population and the widespread use of anticoagulant medications, there is evidence...
component in blood clotting. A related compound, the prescription drug anticoagulant warfarin, is used to inhibit formation of blood clots, deep vein thrombosis...
Coumarouna, was formed from another Tupi name for the tree, kumarú. Many anticoagulant prescription drugs, such as warfarin, are based on 4-hydroxycoumarin...
Castellini MA, Castellini JM, Kirby VL (1992). "Effects of standard anticoagulants and storage procedures on plasma glucose values in seals". J Am Vet...
of anticoagulation therapy for more than 50 years. They are used as anticoagulant medications in the prevention of thrombosis, and in pest control, as...
hemotympanum. Anticoagulants, often called blood thinners, are medications that keep blood from clotting too easily. In rare cases, anticoagulants can cause...
showing nuclear debris in a background of fibrin and red blood cells. Anticoagulants are drugs used to prevent the formation of blood clots, reducing the...
Thrombin levels increase. Protein S, an anticoagulant, decreases. However, the other major anticoagulants, protein C and antithrombin III, remain constant...
Direct factor Xa inhibitors (xabans) are anticoagulants (blood thinning drugs), used to both treat and prevent blood clots in veins, and prevent stroke...
Enoxaparin sodium, sold under the brand name Lovenox among others, is an anticoagulant medication (blood thinner). It is used to treat and prevent deep vein...
and FIX to form the tenase complex until it is down-regulated by the anticoagulant pathways. A newer model of coagulation mechanism explains the intricate...
include injection of an anticoagulant, thrombolysis, embolectomy, surgical revascularization, or partial amputation. Anticoagulant therapy is initiated to...
Global Information