Anticoagulant medicines | 合法醫療器材資訊網

Anticoagulants are medicines that help prevent blood clots. Theyre given to people at a high risk of getting clots, to reduce their chances of developing serious conditions such as strokes and heart attacks.

A blood clot[1] is a seal created by the blood to stop bleeding from wounds. While theyre useful in stopping bleeding, they can block blood vessels and stop blood flowing to organs such as the brain, heart or lungs if they form in the wrong place.

Anticoagulants work by interrupting the process involved in the formation of blood clots. Theyre sometimes called "blood-thinning" medicines, although they dont actually make the blood thinner.

Although theyre used for similar purposes, anticoagulants are different to antiplatelet medicines, such as low-dose aspirin[2] and clopidogrel[3].