An artificial heart valve made from tissues, traditionally from pig heart valves. The have the advantage of improved blood flow (compared to mechanical heart valves) so do not require the life long use of warfarin. The disadvantage of these valves is that they only last about 15 years before they need replacing.

An anticoagulant medicine belonging to the direct thrombin inhibitors group.

Relating to the heart.

A doctor who specialises in the heart and its actions and diseases.

A stroke causing an area of tissue death in the brain, resulting from the obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain due to a clot or embolus.

Brand name of a low-molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin. Heparins are anticoagulant medicines.

An antiplatelet medicine used to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and blood clots.

A mass of solidified blood.

Any substance that is involved in the clotting of blood.

One of the portable INR monitors available in Australia. http://coaguchek.com/com/?target=/en/patients

One of the brands of warfarin available in Australia. Produced in 1mg, 2mg and 5mg tablets.

A chemical derived from plants that has an anticoagulant action. It is the chemical that warfarin is produced from.

An anticoagulant medicine that belongs to the direct thrombin inhibitors group.

A small protein present in the blood after a blood clot is broken up. Testing the blood for the presence of D-dimer is used when it is thought there may be a blood clot, such as in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE).

The formation of a blood clot (thrombus) in a deep vein; most commonly affects the veins in the leg.

An antiplatelet medicine used to reduce the risk of stroke. Available alone or in combination with aspirin.

A class of medicines that acts to directly inhibit the enzyme thrombin which is involved in blood clotting.

An ultrasound that utilises the Doppler effect to measure movement or flow in the body. This method is often used to detect blood clots.

A product to help people manage their medicines, especially when they take many different tablets, or take them at lots of different times during the day. It can be filled by the person themselves, or can be filled by the pharmacist. Usually contain a week of medicine.