ThrombinThrombin is a substance (enzyme) in the bloodstream that is needed for blood to clot. When a person is cut or wounded, thrombin and a protein called fibrinogen make a stringy material that traps blood cells and then gradually decomposes as the area heals. Only thrombin located at the area of the injury is activated, and only for a few seconds. This process helps prevent a potentially dangerous blood clot, called a thrombus, from forming and traveling through the bloodstream. Current as of:
September 21, 2016 Author:
Healthwise Staff Medical Review:
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine & Jeffrey S. Ginsberg, MD, FRCPC - Hematology |
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