Thrombin
Alternate Terms:- Activated Factor II
- Activated Factor IIa
- Prothrombin
Thrombin 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.
| Author: | Robin Parks, MS |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Jeffrey J. Gilbertson, MD - Cardiovascular Surgery |
| Last Updated: January 15, 2008 | |
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