A Retrospective Analysis of q12hr and q8hr Heparin for DVT/PE Prophylaxis in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting

Abstract

Purpose: There is little clinical evidence comparing the safety and efficacy of prophylactic subcutaneous heparin given every 8 hours and every 12 hours. We performed a retrospective analysis incorporating these dosing intervals in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Methods: Heparin usage data was collected and patient charts were analyzed for both therapeutic failure and bleeding events. A 2-tailed Fisher’s exact test was performed for both outcomes, with a P-value of less than 0.05 being considered significant. Odds ratios were also calculated with P-values less than 0.05 being considered significant. Study Population: A Cerner report was run to identify patients ordered prophylactic heparin in an inpatient rehabilitation setting from April 7, 2020, to October 27, 2021. One hundred patients receiving heparin every 8 hours and every 12 hours were randomly selected for chart review. These study groups were further stratified by Padua risk scores. Results: In both groups, 4 (4.0%) patients were identified as having a documented bleeding event and 2 (2.0%) patients from each group were identified as having a therapy failure. Conclusion: For both endpoints, no significant differences in bleeding rates or therapy failure rates were detected in any of the population stratifications.