Key result
ACT-monitored IV heparin is linked to errors from pump imprecision, interruptions, preparation, and charting failures.
Why the study?
What are the sources of error in intravenous heparin therapy for thromboembolic disease?
Observational
What are the sources of error in intravenous heparin therapy for thromboembolic disease?
Identifies practical sources of error in intravenous heparin administration, highlighting the need for precise infusion and charting techniques to prevent adverse events like hemorrhage.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Alerts clinicians to heparin infusion pitfalls; leaves open whether standardized protocols reduce complications.
We observed a series of patients with thromboembolic disease treated intravenously with heparin sodium and monitored by the activated coagulation time (ACT) of whole blood. When patients responded slowly, had dangerous hemorrhage, or had ACTs well outside our target range, we analyzed infusion records to determine actual infusion rates. We found the following sources of error: (1) lack of pump precision, (2) interruption of infusion, (3) errors in making up solutions, and (4) failure of infusion or charting techniques.
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Paul G. Hattersley (1980) conducted an observational in Thromboembolic disease. Intravenous heparin sodium therapy was evaluated on Sources of error in heparin therapy. Intravenous heparin therapy monitored by ACT was associated with errors due to lack of pump precision, infusion interruption, solution preparation errors, and charting failures.
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