Heparin is an effective coagulant, that prevents the blood from clotting. It is widely used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It is also used to treat myocardial infarction and unstable angina. Another application of heparin is an inner surface anticoagulant on various experimental and medical devices, such as test tubes and renal dialysis machines.
Although heparin can be synthesized using chemical processes, almost all the heparin produced worldwide today is extracted from porcine intestinal mucosa. The harvesting of such mucosa for heparin takes place in pork-producing areas worldwide.