What is Blood Thinner?
A blood thinner, also called an anti-coagulant, is used to stop platelets, or heavy cells, present in blood plasma from forming clots. They are most used in those who are at risk for heart attack, stroke, or aneurisms. A blood thinner can be composed of several different chemical formations. The most common blood thinner, and most often used is aspirin, taken in doses of 81mg per day, essentially one baby aspirin. Aspirin has been recognized as a blood thinner for at least fifty years. It can significantly reduce platelet counts. Often, a daily dose of aspirin is the only required cardiac medicine. This is particularly the case with those children born with congenital heart defects who have undergone surgery. They are often given a palliative daily dose of aspirin. In children, the use of aspirin as a blood thinner must be carefully monitored, and stopped if the child has stomach flu, influenza, or chicken pox. Aspirin use has been indicated in the development of Reye’s syndrome, an il
