Blood Thinner

In the apartment's elevator tonight someone mentioned that their father needed to go on "blood thinners" before his surgery. I remarked to myself that this metaphor is so played out. While it makes sense for genetic disorders to "run in the family" I marvel at the lay perception of what blood thinning treatment actually means. The inhibition of the clotting cascade by any number of drugs sure prevents clots from forming, but patients on 'blood thinners' have blood just as viscous as healthy controls, which is to say that it is not watered down, just less likely to clot in blood vessels, around artificial heart valves, etc.


Remember: 'blood is thicker than water'.