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What is Anticoagulant Therapy?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Anticoagulant therapy is a course of drug therapy in which anticoagulant medications are administered to a patient to slow the rate at which the patient's blood clots. There are a number of reasons for a patient to be put on anticoagulant therapy, ranging from deep vein thrombosis to atrial fibrillation. A doctor must carefully supervise the drug therapy because it carries a number of risks and the patient needs to be monitored for complications.

Anticoagulants are sometimes referred to as “blood thinners.” This is a bit erroneous, as the drugs do not thin the blood, they just inhibit the formation of clotting agents so that the blood cannot clot as easily. One popular anticoagulant drug is warfarin, administered by mouth, although other drugs may be used, and injectable medications may be utilized in intravenous anticoagulant therapy.

A patient undergoing anticoagulation therapy may bruise easily.
A patient undergoing anticoagulation therapy may bruise easily.

This treatment is used when a patient is at risk of health problems due to clots. In atrial fibrillation, for example, pooled blood in the heart can clot, which can be dangerous. In mechanical heart valve replacement, the body may form clots around the new valve because it views the valve as a threat, which puts the patient at risk. Patients with existing clots may be put on anticoagulant therapy to prevent the clotting from getting worse, as seen in pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.

People on warfarin will need to undergo frequent blood tests.
People on warfarin will need to undergo frequent blood tests.

The doctor determines an appropriate dosage and puts the patient on a medication schedule which keeps anticoagulant levels in the blood stable. Many drugs can interact dangerously with anticoagulants, making it important to talk to the patient about other drugs being used. Anticoagulation therapy guidelines vary by patient and situation, and a doctor must take care to confirm that the course of therapy is appropriate. Certain activities can also be dangerous for patients taking anticoagulants, making it wise to take a full patient history to learn about the patient's lifestyle and identify any risk factors which could complicate anticoagulant therapy.

Injectable medications may be utilized in intravenous anticoagulant therapy.
Injectable medications may be utilized in intravenous anticoagulant therapy.

The big risk with anticoagulation therapy is that the patient is more susceptible to bleeding. Patients bruise easily, bleed freely from even small cuts, and can be at risk of complications related to the fact that their blood has difficulty clotting. If a patient needs surgery, for example, the procedure can be very dangerous because of the lowered clotting factors in the blood. Hence, a doctor has to carefully review risks and benefits with the patient to make sure that the patient understands why the therapy is being used, and what types of risks are associated with it.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

honey888

What will happen to me? My APTT result is beyond the normal range? Here is my result:

APTT Test:

Patient- 52.1 secs.

Control- 29.8 secs.

PROTIME Test:

Patient- 13.8 secs.

Control- 12.4 secs.

Percent Activity- 80.2 percent

INR: 1.11

Please help me to know.

anon124872

i disagree that injection therapy is better. Having received both i would much rather swallow a tablet than inject myself so i am left with a hard stomach from the injection sites and a stomach that is multi coloured from the different stages of bruising.

pharmchick78

@lightning88 -- Oral anticoagulant therapy does have some drawbacks, for instance, it starts and stops more slowly than injection anticoagulant therapy, and you have to monitor it really carefully to make sure the levels are OK.

This can be a problem if a patient needs a procedure that could cause bleeding, like dental work.

This makes injection therapy better, since it can be started and stopped more easily.

However, each situation varies, and doctors will choose different courses of action depending on the situation and the patient.

lightning88

So what is the difference between using oral anticoagulant therapy and injection anticoagulant therapy?

Why would you use one as opposed to the other?

closerfan12

Before starting anticoagulant therapy, a doctor will often perform a blood clot test, particularly if a patient has a family history of blood problems.

Blood clot tests can range from a simple D-dimer blood test to a venography, MRI, or in extreme cases, an angiogram.

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    • A patient undergoing anticoagulation therapy may bruise easily.
      By: Dusan Kostic
      A patient undergoing anticoagulation therapy may bruise easily.
    • People on warfarin will need to undergo frequent blood tests.
      By: Alexander Gospodinov
      People on warfarin will need to undergo frequent blood tests.
    • Injectable medications may be utilized in intravenous anticoagulant therapy.
      By: Andrei Tsalko
      Injectable medications may be utilized in intravenous anticoagulant therapy.
    • Compression stockings may be helpful in the treatment of DVT.
      By: nito
      Compression stockings may be helpful in the treatment of DVT.
    • A doctor must carefully supervise a patient on anticoagulant therapy.
      By: Photographee.eu
      A doctor must carefully supervise a patient on anticoagulant therapy.
    • Anticoagulants may cause complications, including difficulty in stopping nosebleeds.
      By: Monika Wisniewska
      Anticoagulants may cause complications, including difficulty in stopping nosebleeds.