How to Give Heparin Shots
Heparin is an anticoagulant frequently used to treat and prevent blood clots. Blood clots are dangerous as they may break loose and travel to the legs (deep vein thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolus), heart and brain. A clot blocking a vessel cuts off the oxygen supply to that organ. Clots can cause strokes and heart attacks if not treated promptly. Heparin may be given by IV through a vein, or as a shot in the abdomen with a very small needle. Shots are often given in hospitals, and patients may go home on self-administered heparin injections.
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Things You'll Need
- Alcohol pads
- Heparin
- Physician order with dosage
- Syringe
- 27 to 30 gauge needle, 5/8 inches long
- Gloves
Instructions
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Check the medication order and verify the patient's identity as directed by hospital policy. Have the patient lie flat. Patients administering their own shots at home may find it easier to lean back in a recliner or against a pillow to allow easy access to the site.
Wash your hands and don the gloves. Locate a site on the abdomen, about 2 inches from the navel. Avoid any bruised areas or areas with broken skin. Clean the area with a new alcohol pad. Using the thumb and forefinger, pinch a section of skin about 3 inches wide to form a thick fold.
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Insert the needle straight into site at a 90-degree angle. In a very thin patient with little stomach fat, give the injection at a 45-degree angle. Press the plunger to inject medicine slowly. Release the skin fold and pull needle straight out. Remind the patient not to rub the site. Activate the needle safety shield per manufacturer instructions and dispose of the syringe in a sharps container.
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Remove the gloves and wash your hands. Document the dose, time, route, site and how well the patient tolerated.
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Tips & Warnings
Patients receiving heparin must have a regular blood test, called PTT (partial thromboplastin time) to measure how long it takes blood to clot. If PTT is too low, there is still a risk of blood clots. A PTT that is too high can result in excessive bleeding. Patients with mechanical heart valves require a higher PTT to keep blood thin enough to flow through the valve.
Long-term heparin use can cause platelets to become too low. It can also cause elevated potassium levels, especially in diabetics and those with kidney problems. Heparin should not be used in patients with stomach ulcers, active bleeding, recent bleeding in the brain (cerebral hemorrhage) or very high blood pressure. Those with liver disease or bacterial infection of the heart valves are also not candidates for heparin therapy.
Some medications may interact with heparin and require dosage adjustments. Aspirin, Plavix, ibuprofen, Coumadin and naproxen carry an increased risk of bleeding. Increased potassium levels may result when used with ACE inhibitors such as captopril and potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone.
