Biomaterial Database

Subcutaneous heparin, plasma heparin levels and postoperative wound haematoma. 1984

A N Nicolaides, and T Harbourne, and R C Russell

Ninety-five patients, over the age of 40, having general surgical operations, were randomly allocated to a control and test group. The test group received 5000 units of subcutaneous heparin two hours before operation and then 12-hourly for seven days. The patients in the control group received the same regimen of isotonic saline. There was a marked variation in the plasma heparin levels from patient to patient, and from day to day in the same patient. There was a significant increase in the incidence of wound haematoma in patients with a plasma heparin level greater than 0.2 units/ml. The results suggest that the increased incidence of wound haematoma previously reported is due to the increase of incidence in patients who have plasma heparin levels greater than 0.2 units/ml.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007279	Injections, Subcutaneous	Forceful administration under the skin of liquid medication, nutrient, or other fluid through a hollow needle piercing the skin.	Subcutaneous Injections,Injection, Subcutaneous,Subcutaneous Injection
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D006406	Hematoma	A collection of blood outside the BLOOD VESSELS. Hematoma can be localized in an organ, space, or tissue.	Hematomas
D006493	Heparin	A highly acidic mucopolysaccharide formed of equal parts of sulfated D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid with sulfaminic bridges. The molecular weight ranges from six to twenty thousand. Heparin occurs in and is obtained from liver, lung, mast cells, etc., of vertebrates. Its function is unknown, but it is used to prevent blood clotting in vivo and vitro, in the form of many different salts.	Heparinic Acid,alpha-Heparin,Heparin Sodium,Liquaemin,Sodium Heparin,Unfractionated Heparin,Heparin, Sodium,Heparin, Unfractionated,alpha Heparin
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults