Abstract
Currently, normal saline lock or normal saline containing heparin lock are routinely used after IVH or intermittent peripheral infusion in the clinical setting. Up till now, however, there has been no evidence for the optimal concentration of heparin in the lock solution for preventing thrombus formation in peripheral vein catheters and central venous catheters.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of normal saline against normal saline containing 10 U/mL or 100 U/mL heparin for preventing blood clotting in peripheral vein catheters. Patients (N=60) in Kanazawa University Hospital were randomized to 3 groups (saline lock group, 10 U/mL heparin lock group and 100 U/mL heparin lock group : N=20 for each). We evaluated the rates of thrombus formation and thrombus protein content after 24 hours of lock in peripheral vein catheters.
Our results indicated that when the 100 U/mL heparin lock solution was used, both thrombus formation rates catheters and protein contents were significantly lower than for the other 2 groups. However, at 100 U/mL, the heparin lock solution caused most pain at the insertion site, though the reason for this was not clearly known.
In conclusion, as compared with the normal saline solution and the 10 U/mL heparin lock solution, the 100 U/mL heparin lock solution was more effective in preventing the thrombus formation in the peripheral vein catheter.
