![]() So, let’s say you’re taking care of your patient load and see an order to start a Heparin drip pop up. The patient will then continue to take the oral medication (which can be done at home!) for as long as necessary, and the drip will be discontinued. Labs will be drawn to monitor both, and once we see that the Coumadin has kicked in to a point where the physicians feel comfortable removing the heparin drip, that’s what is done. The IV heparin drip will be continuously infusing, and you’ll administer a daily dose of oral Coumadin (in tablet form). We will draw labs to monitor them both to ensure the blood isn’t The physician may decide to put the patient on a heparin drip to bridge Coumadin bridge. No, we’re not going to send them across a literal bridge, but what this means is that we’re going to first start a heparin drip to quickly get their blood to a safe place, and start Coumadin at the same time. Some patients are at such high risks for developing more clots and thinning the blood so it can get around existing ones that they can’t wait for the Coumadin to kick in. Coumadin takes as long as 5 days to reach its full effect. However, when given via this route, it’s typically to PREVENT a blood clot from forming, and not given as TREATMENT when one has already been identified. Note: When heparin is given subcutaneously, it can take about 20-60 minutes for it to kick in. But, it will not break down the clot that has already formed. So, if your patient has multiple PE’s, starting a heparin drip will thin the blood to allow it to get around those clots and perfuse the area beyond it much better, and it will also prevent more clots from forming. It will prevent more from forming and make the blood thinner so it can get around the existing clot(s) in the body. It’s important to know that heparin will NOT break up existing clots. Reasons for this drip can be a pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), myocardial infarction (MI/heart attack), post cardiac surgery, and more. The specific numbers of where depend on why they need their blood to be thin/not clot as easily in the first place. The amount given can be adjusted (titrated) to ensure the blood isn’t clotting enough or too much. This is a GOOD thing because we start these drips when patients have something serious going on, and we need to prevent the body from making more clots. When given in this form, the effects are immediate. It’s hooked up to an IV pump and continuously infused. What A Heparin Drip DoesĪ “heparin drip” means that heparin is going into the patient’s IV continuously. Why Do Nurses Give Heparin and Coumadin Together?įirst, let’s understand what they are separately, then you can understand how they work together. Let’s go through some basic explanations to have this confusing topic make more sense. Something that can be confusing at first for nursing students and brand new cardiac nurses is understanding Heparin, Coumadin, and the labs to draw to monitor them appropriately. Nursing Tips for Heparin and Coumadin Lab Monitoring
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