A patient asks the health care provider how warfarin (Coumadin) achieves its anticoagulant ef-fect. Which statement would be the most appropriate response of the health care provider?
a. Warfarin inactivates clotting factors that are currently circulating in the blood-stream.
b. Warfarin dilates the arterial lumen so blood can flow around a site of injury.
c. Warfarin prevents clots from forming by making blood vessel walls slippery.
d. Warfarin interferes with production of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors in the liver.
ANS: D
Warfarin suppresses coagulation activity by interfering with the production of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors in the liver. By reducing the amount of available vitamin K, clot-ting factors II, VII, IX, and X are reduced. The result is that vitamin K dysfunctions, causing the clotting factors to also be dysfunctional, and therefore the risk for clot formation is decreased.
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