heparin drips

Nurses Medications

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Specializes in CCRN.

Heparin - does it have to be ran completely by itself?

Let's say the pt is on a heparin drip and is supposed to be getting 5ml/hr

Is it safe to run it concurrently? Like with NS in line A at 25 ml/hr and the heparin in line B @ 5ml/hr?

Or is it safe to run in 2 separate pumps at the Y site? One with heparin only and one with NS only?

No matter if you are running it alone, or concurrent, or at a Y site.. aren't you only getting the 5ml of heparin?

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Heparin is compatible with some medications and IVF, however, many hospitals policies say that heparin should have it's own line. I have run antibiotics with heparin when I had two to run and didn't have a third line. Nitro is compatible with heparin for those who are interested. I have run those together too. Running two medications concurrently won't change the amount of medication being infused to the patient.

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Specializes in Heme Onc.

You just have to make sure that you Y-site carefully. If you Have your heparin line directly to the patient and y-site a med into that line that runs at 300/hr you're essentially blousing the patient with heparin content of the y-site to the tip of the iv access. Just rearrange your lines so they make sense.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

From what I understand heparin is not compatible with normal saline but it is compatible with 1/2 normal saline. It's the osmolarity of the two combined that decreases the heparin's effectiveness by 30 to 50%. Loves me some pharmacology! :wacky:

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From what I understand heparin is not compatible with normal saline but it is compatible with 1/2 normal saline. It's the osmolarity of the two combined that decreases the heparin's effectiveness by 30 to 50%. Loves me some pharmacology! :wacky:

Source?

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Specializes in EMT since 92, Paramedic since 97, RN and PHRN 2021.
Source?

I would like to know this also. Heparin is most definitely compatible with NSS.

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Specializes in ICU.
I would like to know this also. Heparin is most definitely compatible with NSS.

Agreed. Every facility I've ever worked runs NS with heparin gtts

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Your facility should have a policy for this. Where I work they run alone.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
Source?

Micromedix and a pharmacist (both resources I only really have access to when at work or they would have been linked already-try it out the next time you work...)

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
I would like to know this also. Heparin is most definitely compatible with NSS.

Well, unfortunately just because something doesn't precipitate in the line doesn't mean that two meds may not deactivate their purpose (like certain antibiotics and IVF's) or decrease their effectiveness when it comes to things like osmolarity.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
Agreed. Every facility I've ever worked runs NS with heparin gtts

I also didn't say that my facility wouldn't run normal saline Y'd with a heparin gtt but it's not ideal. Sometimes you only have so much IV access. Now if you switch IVF's and notice a wider change in the PTT...ever wonder why heparin is mixed with dextrose? (At least it is at my facility)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
I also didn't say that my facility wouldn't run normal saline Y'd with a heparin gtt but it's not ideal. Sometimes you only have so much IV access. Now if you switch IVF's and notice a wider change in the PTT...ever wonder why heparin is mixed with dextrose? (At least it is at my facility)

Baxter makes a premixed bag for drips which is heparin with NS. I have no idea where your pharmacist got the idea that they are incompatible.

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