title: The History of Antithrombotic Therapy: The Discovery of Heparin, the Vitamin K Antagonists, and the Utility of Aspirin.
abstract: The administration of intravenous heparin to postoperative patients by Barritt and Jordan reduced the incidence of fatal and nonfatal pulmonary embolism and established heparin as the standard for parenteral anticoagulation. The coumarin family of vitamin K antagonists quickly became the standard for long-term oral anticoagulation. Aspirin became a widely used antithrombotic agent after the discovery that chronic oral administration reduced the incidence of secondary strokes and myocardial infarction. This article gives a brief history of antithrombotic therapy, including the discovery of heparin, the vitamin k antagonists, and the utility of aspirin.
authors.affiliation: Hematology Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: rhandin@partners.org.
authors.forename: Robert I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Handin
mesh_terms: D001241:Aspirin / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006493:Heparin / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D014812:Vitamin K; D006493:Heparin; D001241:Aspirin
keywords: Antithrombotic therapy; Aspirin; Heparin; Vitamin K antagonists