A Thrombotic Stroke, Essay Example

A thrombotic stroke is a blood clot or thrombus that forms in the brain’s arteries and blocks blood flow. Thrombotic strokes are the most common type of all strokes and is usually caused by atherosclerosis or a fatty buildup in the walls of the artery. Heparin is an anticoagulant that is used to prevent and treat blood clot formations. It can be used to treat several different aspects of clotting including, blood clotting in the lungs and legs, blood clotting disorders, blood clotting after surgery, and blood clotting during dialysis, blood transfusions and in immobile individuals. Heparin is able to keep the blood flowing by use of an anti-clotting protein. Heparin would be a suitable treatment for a thrombotic stroke.

A subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening type of stroke that is caused by bleeding into the space between the skull and the brain. This type of stroke occurs because the brain is deprived of oxygen because its blood supply was interrupted.  The most common cause of a subarachnoid hemorrhage is a ruptured aneurysm. Since an aneurysm is an enlargement of an artery that can sometimes burst and cause excessive bleeding, heparin would not be an appropriate treatment for a case of free bleeding.