What do anticoagulants prevent?

What do anticoagulants prevent?

• A. Enlargement of clots
• B. Bleeding
• C. Enlargement and Formation of clots
• D. Vessel dilation

Answer: (C)

Anticoagulants work by interrupting the blood coagulation cascade, which reduces thrombin formation and the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. This prevents clots from forming and stops existing clots from growing larger. They do not dissolve clots—that’s the job of thrombolytics—and they don’t prevent bleeding; in fact, they can increase bleeding risk. They also don’t cause vessel dilation. So the option that best describes what anticoagulants prevent is the enlargement and formation of clots.

Anticoagulants work by interrupting the blood coagulation cascade, which reduces thrombin formation and the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. This prevents clots from forming and stops existing clots from growing larger. They do not dissolve clots—that’s the job of thrombolytics—and they don’t prevent bleeding; in fact, they can increase bleeding risk. They also don’t cause vessel dilation. So the option that best describes what anticoagulants prevent is the enlargement and formation of clots.