coumadin) have little effect in this area. The anticoagulants prevent the formation of clots that inhibit circulation. References 1 The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke rt-PA Stroke Study Group. They do their work by inhibiting clotting factors which are part of the coagulation cascade. Targeting the components of thrombi, these agents include (1) antiplatelet drugs, (2) anticoagulants, and (3) fibrinolytic agents . Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs are a type of medication that is used to eliminate or reduce the risk of blood clots by helping prevent or break up clots in your blood vessels or heart. Crossref Medline Google Scholar; 2 Hacke W, Albers G, Al-Rawi Y, Bogousslavsky J, Davalos A, Eliasziw M, Fischer M, Furlan A, Kaste M, Lees KR, Soehngen M, Warach S; for The DIAS Study Group. Anticoagulants such as heparin or warfarin (also called Coumadin) slow down your body's process of making clots. Summary of Anticoagulants Vs. Antiplatelets. 1995; 333: 1581–1587. The antiplatelets prevent platelet aggregation , clumping together of platelets to form a clot. Antiplatelets, as the name implies, work by preventing platelets from clumping and forming a clot. Anticoagulants prevent clots (thrombus) formation by interfering with the activity of proteins involved in blood clotting (clotting factors), while antiplatelets, usually aspirin, prevent platelet aggregation and impair clot formation. In general,-Anticoagulants are used for conditions that involve stasis. Antithrombotic agents, consisting of antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications, are some of the most commonly prescribed medications. Anticoagulants help decrease clots from forming by affecting the clotting factors of the blood. This is a basic review of the clinical pharmacologic data on the anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and fibrinolytic agents most commonly used in the treatment of stroke and in the neurointerventional suite. There are two main types of blood thinners. Understanding of the pharmacology of thrombolytics, anticoagulants, and antiplatelets is critical to performing safe and effective endovascular therapy for acute ischemic therapy. 1 When combined, these medications increase the risk of significant bleeding complications. The three major groups of these drugs are (1) anticoagulants, (2) antiplatelets (antithrombotics), and (3) thrombolytics. Antiplatelets work by stopping the platelets from sticking together to form a clot. Anticoagulants and antiplatelets both help to treat people who have problems with blood clots. Antiplatelet - limit migration or aggregation of blood platelet cells Anitcoagulant - limit the ability of the blood to form a clot Thrombolytic - dissolve clots after they have formed Antiplatelet drugs are effective in inhibiting thrombus formation in the arterial circulation, anticoagulants (i.e. The main difference between anticoagulant and antiplatelet is that an anticoagulant or a blood thinner is a medicine that delays the clotting of blood, whereas antiplatelet is another medicine that prevents the formation of a blood clot by preventing blood platelets from sticking together. They are currently used by millions of Americans to prevent thrombotic complications in a wide variety of cardiovascular conditions. Anticoagulants don’t work on platelets. ANTIPLATELET AGENTS VS. ANTICOAGULATION FOR STROKE & TIA Learning Objectives Describe the two main ways that blood clots using nonmedical terms List the 6 ischemic stroke etiologies Determine the optimal antithrombotic therapy for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke based on ischemic stroke etiology Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet are the two classes of antithrombotic drugs used to treat thrombosis. The most common side effect of anticoagulant or antiplatelet treatment is a tendency to bleed. N Engl J Med. These groups of drugs affect clot formation and resolution by hindering different steps in clotting formation which include altering the formation of platelet plug (antiplatelet drugs), interfering the clotting cascade and thrombin formation (anticoagulant drugs), and stimulating the plasmin system to break down the formed clot (thrombolytic agents).