Anticoagulant: Any agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots.
Anticoagulants have various uses. Some are used for the prophylaxis (prevention) or the treatment of thromboembolic disorders. Thrombi are clots. Emboli are clots that break free, travel through the bloodstream, and lodge therein. The anticoagulant drugs used for these clinical purposes include:
Anticoagulant solutions are also used for the preservation of stored whole blood and blood fractions. These anticoagulants include heparin and acid citrate dextrose (commonly called ACD).
Anticoagulants are also used to keep laboratory blood specimens from clotting. These agents include not only heparin but also several agents that make calcium ions unavailable to the clotting process and so prevent the formation of clots; these agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (commonly called EDTA), citrate, oxalate and fluoride.
Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary ( ăn ' tÄ“-kÅ-ăg ' yÉ™-lÉ™nt, ăn ' tÄ«- ) n. A substance that prevents the clotting of blood. adj. Acting as an ...
anticoagulant /an·ti·co·ag·u·lant/ (-ko-ag´u-lant) acting to suppress, delay, or nullify blood coagulation, or an agent that does this. circulating ...
Anticoagulant: Any agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Anticoagulants have various uses. Some are used for the prophylaxis (prevention) or the treatment of ...
Your doctor may suggest that you take a different anticoagulant that is less likely to harm the fetus or the newborn infant during all or part of your pregnancy.
An anticoagulant is a substance that prevents coagulation; that is, it stops blood. from clotting. A group of pharmaceuticals called anticoagulants can be used in vivo as a ...