Question about Heparin and PTT

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hi! this'd be my first post on here. i'm only a few weeks into my first year of nursing school.

essentially, my clinicals instructor is the hardest one at my school (even the professors say with caution that she is... "challenging"), and her writing is terrible haha.

so, my clinical paperwork came back from her today covered in partially illegible red pen and on one of the forms she sis, "look up definition of ptt for lab value for patients taking heparin." i'm not sure i even know what she's asking here. she wants normal values?... or values based on how much he's being given?

my patient was on saline at a rate of kbo and 1000 units/ml heparin at a rate of 8 (per hour?... i forget... is it assumed it's 8 units per hour? also, i forgot what kbo means...)

i was lucky enough to remember to write down his ptt even though i don't know exactly what it means... clotting time? it was 57 seconds.

a lot of this is still chinese to me and frankly i don't know if she just wants me to look it up or print stuff out for her but i'm guessing she wants it written and turned in.

thanks for any help :). i don't expect this to be answered in time (due tomorrow at 8am) but if it is, then yay. haha.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

You're right, it does measure clotting time. PTT is used to measure the effects of Heparin, and usually while on Heparin therapy, the desired PTT levels are 1.5-2.5 times the normal PTT values. The normal values may vary from lab to lab, but it's usually around 25 to 35 seconds. So it seems to me that your pt's PTT value of 57 seconds falls within the expected range for a pt. on Heparin therapy. Hope this helps!

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It does!!!

THANK YOU!

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Specializes in Med onc, med, surg, now in ICU!.

KBO is actually KVO, and it means 'keep veins open'. Hope this helps as well!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

I know this is coming a bit late since your clinical was the other day, but someone also posted a thread asking for information about this the other day. Link into this thread and you will find more links to other threads with all kinds of information about PT/PTT/INR and coagulation:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/inr-blood-coagulation-studies-182100.html

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