Definition

Noun: - A polysaccharide substance produced by certain white blood cells (basophils), particularly in the lung and liver. Its primary function is to inhibit thrombin, a key enzyme in the blood coagulation process, thereby preventing or slowing clot formation. It is used medically as an anticoagulant drug to treat and prevent conditions like thrombosis and is also utilized during heart surgery.

Usage

• Medical Context: Used to refer to the specific anticoagulant drug or the naturally occurring substance.
  • The patient was administered lipo-hepin to prevent further clot formation after the surgery.
  • The study focused on the natural production of lipo-hepin in pulmonary basophils.

Advanced Usage

• Pharmaceutical Trade Name: "Lipo-Hepin" (capitalized, often hyphenated) is one of the proprietary brand names for pharmaceutical heparin.
  • The hospital's pharmacy stocked Lipo-Hepin for use in the cardiac unit.

Variants and Related Words

• Heparin (n): The generic, non-proprietary name for the same anticoagulant substance. "Lipo-hepin" is a specific brand variant.
  • Heparin is a critical drug in managing deep vein thrombosis.
• Liquaemin (n): Another trade name for the same heparin-based anticoagulant drug.
• Anticoagulant (n): A general term for any substance that prevents blood coagulation.
  • Warfarin is another type of oral anticoagulant.

Synonyms

• Anticoagulant: A substance that prevents clotting.
• Blood thinner (informal): A common layperson's term for anticoagulant medications.

Related Terms (Not Synonyms)

• Thrombin (n): The enzyme that heparin inhibits.
• Thrombosis (n): The medical condition of blood clot formation that heparin treats.
• Basophil (n): A type of white blood cell that produces heparin.

Noun

1. a polysaccharide produced in basophils (especially in the lung and liver) and that inhibits the activity of thrombin in coagulation of the blood; it (trade names Lipo-Hepin and Liquaemin) is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis and in heart surgery