Anticoagulants and Thrombolytics Part 1

Anticoagulants (such as warfarin, heparin and the DOACs) are drugs which inhibit the coagulation cascades and thus slow the formation of the fibrin mesh in the clotting pathway. Antiplatelets (such as aspirin, clopidogrel, ticagrelor and prasugrel) are drugs which inhibit platelet activation and aggregation and thus slow the formation of platelets plugs in the clotting pathway. Both drug types are referred to as blood thinners. Thrombolytics (such as streptokinase and alteplase) are drugs which promote fibrinolysis and therefore accelerate the process of blood clot disintegration. In this video we discuss the mechanisms of action of many drugs from each of these three types. This video is designed to follow a 7 part video in the pathology playlist entitled ‘Haemostasis’.. In that video we discuss the clotting pathway in detail and that knowledge will be necessary before watching this video.