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Hello Jennifer82: I was also taught that and have always made it my practice and have very few bruised sites. Good luck w/your career.
I was taught in nursing school to put a small air lock or (air bubble) to lock SubQ Heparin into the subq tissue. I know it is the standard with Lovenox of course because of it's low molecular wt. I have researched it on the internet and seen articles that teach pt's to use the air lock method, although most do not add this step.I asked several of the more experience nurses on my unit and almost half said they do, the other half gave me a scolding as a new nurse that that should never be done.
What do you do? Also, do you know of any reliable sources or articles that have the most updated info?
I have found a couple sites that reguard to using an airlock with subq Heparin, but I can't find why specifically it would be contraindicated.
The patient teaching sheet is from the UCDavis Health Systems website
www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cne/Health Education/PtHndOut/subQhep.pdf
The research article is from the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing website.
www.stti.iupui.edu/library/ojksn/articles/030001.pdf
Thanks,
Jennifer
How does everyone else do it? I am really wanting to know since I am a new nurse and my supervisor really embarassed me and told me I was never supposed to give Heparin with an air lock. Anyone know, why or why not?
I was taught in nursing school to put a small air lock or (air bubble) to lock SubQ Heparin into the subq tissue. I know it is the standard with Lovenox of course because of it's low molecular wt. I have researched it on the internet and seen articles that teach pt's to use the air lock method, although most do not add this step.I asked several of the more experience nurses on my unit and almost half said they do, the other half gave me a scolding as a new nurse that that should never be done.
What do you do? Also, do you know of any reliable sources or articles that have the most updated info?
I have found a couple sites that reguard to using an airlock with subq Heparin, but I can't find why specifically it would be contraindicated.
The patient teaching sheet is from the UCDavis Health Systems website
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cne/Health Education/PtHndOut/subQhep.pdf
The research article is from the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing website.
http://www.stti.iupui.edu/library/ojksn/articles/030001.pdf
Thanks,
Jennifer
Jen04 nurse
12 Posts
I was taught in nursing school to put a small air lock or (air bubble) to lock SubQ Heparin into the subq tissue. I know it is the standard with Lovenox of course because of it's low molecular wt. I have researched it on the internet and seen articles that teach pt's to use the air lock method, although most do not add this step.
I asked several of the more experience nurses on my unit and almost half said they do, the other half gave me a scolding as a new nurse that that should never be done.
What do you do? Also, do you know of any reliable sources or articles that have the most updated info?
I have found a couple sites that reguard to using an airlock with subq Heparin, but I can't find why specifically it would be contraindicated.
The patient teaching sheet is from the UCDavis Health Systems website
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cne/Health Education/PtHndOut/subQhep.pdf
The research article is from the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing website.
http://www.stti.iupui.edu/library/ojksn/articles/030001.pdf
Thanks,
Jennifer