Anticoagulation

/ˌæn.tiˌkoʊ.æɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ noun

Definition

The process or state of preventing blood coagulation; medical treatment using anticoagulants.

Etymology

From 'anti-' (against) + 'coagulation' (clotting) + nominal '-ion'. Medical term that emerged with systematic anticoagulant therapy.

Kelly Says

During heart surgery, doctors use aggressive anticoagulation to keep blood flowing through machines—then they have to reverse it quickly afterward so patients don't bleed to death, which is one of medicine's tensest moments.

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