Heparin Lab Values | Key NCLEX® Points + Critical Thinking

27 Jun 2025 · 1 min

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1:00

In this instructional segment, the speaker outlines essential NCLEX knowledge about heparin. Heparin’s primary function is to reduce clot formation and it is used for venous thromboembolism (VTE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and emboli related to atrial fibrillation. The speaker emphasizes critical thinking: because heparin alters clotting, nurses must vigilantly monitor patients for signs of bleeding—especially on the skin, in stool, and urine, including occult blood—since bleeding times may be prolonged. The key laboratory test to assess heparin effect is the activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT); a mnemonic is provided linking the “H” in heparin to “PTT”. The segment concludes with a brief promotion of a pharmacology study resource.

Chapters

Let's talk about the key points that you need to know for heparin for nursing school and the nclex. So heparin is going to help reduce clot formation and it helps with blood clots with vt, el, DVT and pulmonary embolisms and then embolisms associated with atrial fibrillation. Now, a key critical thinking point for you for heparin or anything that affects blood clotting is that since this clotting is affected, we want to make sure that we are monitoring for epiclots or active bleeding in especially on the skin, in the stool and in the urine. So we want to make sure we're looking for that occult blood, making sure we're monitoring the patient for bleeding because they could have longer bleeding times. Now you'll want to look for the PTT lab value. So when you think of the H in heparin, think ptt. Those two T's there kind of make up that H. So when you think of heparin, we want to check that P2T level. If you're struggling with pharmacology in nursing school, be sure to check out the Pharmacology study system inside the nursing SOS shop.