Clarifying the Mechanism: Is Heparin a Direct Thrombin Inhibitor?
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4 min read
The incidence of hospital-acquired deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can be as high as 40–60% for patients after major orthopedic surgery if no preventive anticoagulants are used [1.3.4]. A common question in pharmacology is whether heparin, a cornerstone anticoagulant, is a direct thrombin inhibitor. The answer is no; it functions as an **indirect** thrombin inhibitor [1.4.3].
