Safety of heparin IV vs SQ

[sunnyskiesRN]

hi,

have a question regarding the safety of heparin iv vs sq.. when a patient is ordered 5000 units SQ, what are the safety issues about giving it IV? I know it shouldn't be given IV, but why? what's the difference between giving a patient heparin SQ as opposed to IV?

thank you much! :)

[Kallie3006, ADN]

The question you are asking is the safety of the medication being given sub q vs IV right? The relevancy is not as important on the dosage and medication as it is on the route it is to be given. The answer to this, IMO, would be the reason you are giving the patient the medication, to begin with.

If you are in the ED and have a code stemi come in then the bolus of IV heparin would be used instead of sub q because of the immediate need to get the medication into the circulatory system to attempt to aid in the restoration of blood flow to the area of the heart that is blocked.

If you are working med surge and have a patient that has been admitted with PNA and the care team is wanting to prevent the formation of blood clots since the patient is not being as active and moving around as normal you are more likely to see an order for sub q heparin vs IV. In this instance, the heparin is used as a preventative measure to keep blood clots from forming.

You may also see heparin drips used to aid in a patient obtaining a therapeutic INR for their coagulant therapy. This sometimes will be done as a drip and/or converted to sub q along with warfarin because of the time it takes warfarin to start taking effect.

So, in short, the safety is in the reason you are giving the medication, to begin with and the desired outcome you are wanting to establish with starting this therapy.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Well the pharmacokinetics are going to vary based on route, and the route is determined based on the pt’s medical need.

That to me would be a bigger safety concern.