SDCEP Anticoagulants and Antiplatelets

Question 1

what is primary haemostasis

Answer 1

when platelets in the blood become activated locally resulting in increased tendency to adhere to each other and to the damaged blood vessel endothelium

Question 2

what is secondary haemostasis

Answer 2

inactive coagulation factors get converted to their active forms resulting in production of fibrin which stabilises the primary platelet plug by cross linking platelets to one another

Question 3

name two medical conditions which could predispose and individual to a risk of thrombosis

Answer 3

atherosclerosis
cardiac arrhythmias

Question 4

how does warfarin work

Answer 4

vitamin K agonist

Question 5

name two limitations of warfarin

Answer 5

narrow therapeutic range
sensitivity to diet and drug interactions
frequent monitoring and dose adjustment

Question 6

what do the DOAC drugs inhibit

Answer 6

Factor Xa of the coagulation cascade