Is aspirin a blood thinner?

Published

When asking a patient if they're on blood thinners... does taking a daily baby 'aspirin' count? Thank you in advance

Specializes in Critical Care.
Clear as mud huh? The irony is that neither antiplatelets or anticogaulants actually do any "thinning". It would be interesting to see a poll but I would wager for most clinicians "blood thinners" are anticoagulants. There are many times I want to know if a patient is on an anticoagulant but I don't care as much if they are on an antiplatlet (but I would always be specific).

A "thinner", such as a paint "thinner" refers to something prolongs the time it takes a liquid to coagulate or affects the coagulation process in some inhibitory way. "Thinner" can also be used to refer to something that makes a liquid less viscous, but is not isolated to that single definition, there for instance paint "thinners" that actually thicken the paint while also affecting the coagulation process of the paint. So using that definition, aspirin is most definitely a "thinner." Although in general it would help if we used more clearly defined medical terms.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Technically, the only sort of thing which makes blood "thinner" - i.e. less concentrated than it was before/ is NS, LR, D5W and so forth. These solutions technically dilute blood for a while, thus making it "thin".

No anticoagulant, however it acts, makes blood less concentrated. They all just make it working differently, that is to say. I personally hate this expression as well, but that's what most lay people understand, and so I have to use it, just like "blood sugar" and "pain pills".

And, yeah, ASA 81 mg QDay is counted for if we speak about changing coagulation properties of the blood, that's the purpose of taking it in the first place.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

I don't care for "blood thinner" either, but I have heard many a provider use that expression when talking to their patients. But really dislike "rat poison."

And if one truly wants to dive into what impairs blood clotting, don't forget herbal and nutritional supplements like ginkgo. I used to take flax seed oil daily and when I donated blood, it took longer for me stop bleeding that it did to donate a pint.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

No it is a platelet aggregation inhibitor - does not make blood thinner but it does make it less sticky!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Does anyone else strongly dislike the term "blood thinner"?

I remember a nursing instructor VERY sternly and LOUDLY correcting a student in class when he used the term "blood thinner." She said something like, it is unacceptable that you do not know the correct terminology....lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, Peds.
I remember a nursing instructor VERY sternly and LOUDLY correcting a student in class when he used the term "blood thinner." She said something like, it is unacceptable that you do not know the correct terminology....lol.

I had two instructors like that. From then on it was always anti-platelet or anticoagulant.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, I bloodly hate that term

Up Vote Up Vote ×

it is and it isn't. ASA is an anti-platelet aggregator. its given to keep platelets from sticking together thus preventing or slowing down the coagulation cascade. given mostly to pts with CAD, PAD/PVD and the like. most of the vascular providers that work with do not consider ASA, Plavix or Brilinta to be "thinners". we always reserve that term for medications like Coumadin, Eliquis, Xarelto and the like. but i guess for the sake of keeping things simple for most patients the term thinner could apply.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

Is the pope Catholic???

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion