When you sustain a small cut or gash, platelets in your blood flock to the site and eventually clot the blood, which stops further bleeding. Though this process is useful, even life-saving, blood clots in other areas of your body can be extremely harmful, even lethal. When a blood clot becomes lodged in an organ, such as the lungs or brain, this is called an embolism, and it poses an immediate risk of death.
The best way to protect patients from harm due to blood clots is to administer anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners, which are a class of drugs that prevents or reduces the coagulation of blood. Western States Home Health Care Agency, Inc., offers anticoagulation therapy for all patients who need it.
Risks of Blood Clots
Blood clots form due to chemical reactions when your blood comes in contact with certain substances in your blood vessel walls or skin. This is the blood’s way of “sensing” when the blood vessel is broken.
Normally, clots form in reaction to cuts, but they can also develop if you remain immobile for long periods of time. They can also form if there is too much cholesterol plaque in your bloodstream, or your blood isn’t able to flow properly.
There are many diseases and health conditions that can be life-threatening without the use of blood thinners to prevent clots, including:
- Heart attacks
- Strokes (which can form when a blood clot lodges in your brain)
- Pulmonary embolism (when a blood clot becomes lodged in your lungs)
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
Blood Thinners to Prevent Clots
There are several classes of anticoagulant drugs that act differently on a chemical level to prevent blood from clotting. They can be ingested as tablets or capsules, or injected via syringe. Blood thinners can have many adverse side effects, so they should only be used in response to a serious medical condition. They should generally be avoided during pregnancy, and only used in case of emergency.
At Western States Home Health Care Agency, Inc., our staff of Registered Nurses is qualified to administer anticoagulation therapy when necessary. Contact us if you or a loved one is in need of home health care in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County area.