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tissue plasminogen activator
noun
: a clot-dissolving enzyme with an affinity for fibrin that is produced naturally in blood vessel linings and is used in a genetically engineered form to prevent damage to heart muscle following a heart attack and reduce neurological damage following ischemic stroke
—abbreviation TPA
Examples of tissue plasminogen activator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1995, The New England Journal of Medicine published a study led by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) that tested the effects of tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, on patients who were having an ischemic stroke.
—Eva Holland, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023
But the UC Health statement said the new unit can bring a CT scanner to a patient and the clot-busting medication tissue plasminogen activator.
—Anne Saker, The Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2020
Brain scans confirmed that diagnosis, and she was treated with an intravenous blood thinner called tissue plasminogen activator.
—Alice Park, Time, 6 Jan. 2023
The most common blood-clot breaker right now is called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA.
—Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 11 May 2011
After the stroke was diagnosed in an emergency room at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, she was given a common intervention, the powerful blood-clot busting medication tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).
—Bycharles Piller, science.org, 27 Nov. 2022
To facilitate protein expression of the RBD antigen, a CMV promoter and human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) were also inserted, as shown in the figure below.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022
The procedure was now too risky and he was given intravenous tissue plasminogen activators (TPA), a treatment used to help dissolve blood clots.
—Hannah Drown, cleveland, 31 Oct. 2019
To qualify, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA.
—baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 19 Aug. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tissue plasminogen activator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1981, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of tissue plasminogen activator was
in 1981
Dictionary Entries Near tissue plasminogen activator
Cite this Entry
“Tissue plasminogen activator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tissue%20plasminogen%20activator. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
tissue plasminogen activator
noun
: a clot-dissolving enzyme that has an affinity for fibrin, that catalyzes the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, that is produced naturally in blood vessel linings, and that is used in a genetically engineered form to prevent damage to heart muscle following a heart attack and to reduce neurological damage following ischemic stroke
—abbreviation tPA
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