Pharmacy Prep

ANTICOAGULANTS

1-Which of the following clotting factor is NOT inhibited by warfarin?

A-2 B-7 C-9 D-10 E-12
Ans-E

2. A drug is said to reach "steady state" when 5 half-lives have elapsed. In the case of warfarin
(a blood thinner), however, the steady state is dependent not upon the drug's half-life, but upon
the half-life of the clotting factors it inhibits. The clotting factors inhibited by warfarin have the
following half-lives:
Factor II - 50 hours
Factor VII - 6 hours
Factor IX - 24 hours
Factor X - 36 hours
Based on this information, how long will it take a patient to reach maximal anticoagulation?
A- 5 days B-10 days C- 15 days D- 20 days E-48 hours
Ans- B
Tips: “maximal” anticoagulation will be reached when all clotting factors are inhibited. This will
take approximately 10 days, since 50hrs (the half-life of the clotting factor taking the longest
time to reach steady) x 5 = 250 hours, which is 10.4 days.

2-The hematocrit (HCT) measures the

A. Total number of blood cells per volume of blood
B. Weight of red blood cells per volume of blood
C. Number of red blood cells per volume of blood
D. Weight of hemoglobin per volume of blood
E. Percentage of red blood cells per volume of blood
Ans-E
Tips: Whole blood treated with anticoagulant is centrifuged in a calibrated hematocrit tube. The
volume ratio of the packed red blood cells to total blood volume is determined. The hematocrit
is normally 39 to 49 for men and 33 to 43 for women. The hematocrit value provides some
indication of both the number and size of the red blood cells present in an individual