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Glite Dictionary
thrombolytic agent

thrombolytic agent

6.2
A drug that breaks up blood clots to restore blood flow during a heart attack or stroke
  • noun
  • /ˌθrɒm.bəˈlɪt.ɪk ˈeɪ.dʒənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : agente trombolítico
  • The paramedics were trained to administer thrombolytic agents if they suspected a stroke in the patient.

Examples

  • Doctors often use thrombolytic agents to help dissolve blood clots quickly during a heart attack.

  • The development of new thrombolytic agents, new drug combinations, and new methods of administration could create a window of opportunity to enhance the quality of regional perfusion and to reduce side effects in acute cerebral infarction.

    Academic text (1995)

  • During the emergency, the team decided that using thrombolytic agents was necessary to restore blood flow to the brain.

Synonyms

streptokinase
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A medicine made by bacteria that breaks up blood clots

is the general drug type rather than a single bacterial enzyme
clot buster
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A medicine that breaks up blood clots that block blood flow, often in the heart

is the formal medical term rather than a casual name
Activase
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A medicine that dissolves blood clots to treat heart attacks and strokes

is the general class name rather than a specific brand
thrombolysis
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A medical treatment that breaks down blood clots in blood vessels

is the drug that causes that process rather than the process itself
thrombolytic
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
8.2

A drug that breaks up blood clots to open blocked blood vessels

is the same but uses an extra word to stress it is a drug
fibrinolytic
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
8.3

A medicine that helps break up blood clots

focuses on fibrin breakdown rather than naming the broader drug class
tissue plasminogen activator
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
4.5

A medicine that breaks up blood clots to treat heart attacks and strokes

is the broad drug category rather than one specific protein medicine
fibrinolysin
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
9.9

A substance the body makes that dissolves blood clots

describes the active enzyme rather than the class of therapeutic drugs
plasmin
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
8.6

A protein in the blood that breaks down blood clots

is the drug class used as medicines rather than a natural enzyme
thrombolytic therapy
vsthrombolytic agent
  • Specialized
5.3

Use medicine to break up blood clots that cause heart attack or stroke

is the individual drug itself rather than the treatment or procedure

Surface Forms

thrombolytic agent singular
thrombolytic agents plural

Morphology

thrombolytic + agent

Given the constituent meanings — 'thrombolytic' (a medication that dissolves blood clots) and 'agent' (a substance that produces an effect) — a learner who knows both words can directly compose the meaning 'a substance/drug that dissolves clots.' This is a straightforward biomedical noun–noun combination following regular composition patterns (and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically), so the meaning is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Thrombolytic agent comes from parts that tell the story: thrombo- means 'clot' and -lytic means 'to break', while agent shows it is a drug. So the name literally shows a medicine that 'breaks' or 'dissolves' a blood 'clot', which is why it means a drug used to open blocked blood flow.