Definitions
There are numerous terms associated with blood clots.
Most doctors will use these terms over and over again without defining
them assuming the patient knows them. Usually patients
don't and have never heard them before. This is a short
list of terms that will be used when discussing blood clots and is by
no means a complete list. The definitions below link mostly to
Wikipedia website.
Anticoagulant - a drug used to prevent or delay the clotting process
Coagulation - clotting of the blood to prevent
further bleeding
Coagulation Cascade - the entire mechanism whereby
blood clots are formed
Coumadin
- Brand name for Warfarin. An anticoagulant taken orally that delays the formation
of blood clots
Deep Venous Thrombosis - (DVT) a blood clot
in the leg
Embolus (plural Emboli) - an object in the blood system (e.g. a blood clot)
Embolism - the movement of an object in the blood system from one location to another
Fragmin
- an injectable anticoagulant that prevents or delays the formation of
blood clots
LMWH (Low molecular weight heparin) - An injectable anticoagulant that
prevents or delays the formation of blood clots
Pulmonary Embolism - (PE) blood clots in the lungs that usually start with a DVT breaking loose and travelling to the lungs
Thromus - technical term for a blood clot
Warfarin
- generic name for Coumadin. An anticoagulant taken orally that delays the formation
of blood clots