Under normal conditions, blood flow in arteries and veins is constant. When blood clots in a blood vessel, it is called a thrombus. Therefore, blood clots can occur in both arteries and veins.

Arterial thrombosis can lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, etc.

 

Venous thrombosis can lead to lower extremity venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, etc.

 

Antithrombotic drugs can prevent blood clots, including antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs.

 

The blood flow in the artery is fast, platelet aggregation can form a thrombus. The cornerstone of prevention and treatment of arterial thrombosis is antiplatelet, and anticoagulation is also used in the acute phase.

 

The prevention and treatment of venous thrombosis mainly relies on anticoagulation.

 

Commonly used antiplatelet drugs for cardiovascular patients include aspirin, clopidogrel, ticagrelor, etc. Their main role is to prevent platelet aggregation, thereby preventing thrombosis.

 

Patients with coronary heart disease need to take aspirin for a long time, and patients with stents or myocardial infarction usually need to take aspirin and clopidogrel or ticagrelor at the same time for 1 year.

 

The commonly used anticoagulant drugs for cardiovascular patients, such as warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, etc., are mainly used for lower extremity venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

 

Of course, the above mentioned methods are only methods of preventing blood clots with drugs.

 

In fact, the most important thing to prevent thrombosis is a healthy lifestyle and the treatment of underlying diseases, such as controlling various risk factors to prevent the progression of atherosclerotic plaques.