A 36 year-old , 135 lb woman whose job requires frequent long airplane trips is admitted for treatment of a massive DVT in the right thigh The patient is initially ordered a heparin drip by the ER physician. Two days later, the IV heparin drip is discontinued and enoxaparin 60mg subQ every 12 hours is ordered. How much time should elapse between the nurse discontinuing the heparin drip and starting subQ enoxaparin? Why?
After discontinuing the intravenous heparin drip a low molecular weight heparin(enoxparin) has to be administered in the first one hour of discontinuation to prevent clotting and maintain the homeostasis. Thus dose is calculated on the grounds of patient weight and it is divided into two doses and administered subcutaneously. The main reason for starting heparin in first 1 hour is because the heparin has a very short half life of just 30 to 60 minutes ,hence to prevent clotting enoxparin has to be administered.
A 36 year-old , 135 lb woman whose job requires frequent long airplane trips is admitted...
Mr. Stanley Londborg is a 64-year-old man with a long-standing history of a seizure disorder. He also has hypertension (high blood pressure) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He is no stranger to the hospital because of his health issues. At home, he takes a number of medications, including three for his COPD and three — levetiracetam, lamotrigine, and valproate sodium — to help control his seizures. Mr. Londborg came to the emergency department (ED) last week because he was...