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Subcutaneous administration is the insertion of medications beneath the skin either by injection or infusion. A subcutaneous injection is administered as a bolus into the subcutis, the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis, collectively referred to as the cutis. The instruments are usually a hypodermic needle and a syringe.
Heparin, also known as unfractionated heparin (UFH), is a medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. [3] [4] Heparin is a blood anticoagulant that increases the activity of antithrombin. [5] It is used in the treatment of heart attacks and unstable angina. [3] It can be given intravenously or by injection under the skin. [3]
Injector pens remove some of the complications of syringes by allowing the pen to be "pushed" against the skin at a 90-degree angle (removing the need to inject at a proper angle as is the case with syringes), as well as by replacing a long, thin plunger of a syringe with a simple button which is depressed and held to inject the dose. [2]
Under the skin, the port has a septum (a silicone membrane) through which drugs can be injected and blood samples can be drawn many times, usually with less discomfort for the patient (and clinician) than a more typical "needle stick".
It is also used to prevent clotting during hemodialysis, and for treatment of unstable angina and non-Q wave myocardial infarction. [1] For the treatment and prevention of DVT, the drug is administered as a subcutaneous injection (under the skin), usually around the abdomen. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [2]
A 2021 review found that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) was superior to unfractionated heparin in the initial treatment of venous thromboembolism for people with cancer. [3] There are medication-based interventions and non-medication-based interventions. [4]
Average molecular weight: heparin is about 15 kDa, and LMWH is about 4.5 kDa. [25] Less frequent subcutaneous dosing than for heparin for postoperative prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism. Once or twice daily subcutaneous injection for treatment of venous thromboembolism and in unstable angina instead of intravenous infusion of high-dose heparin.
Heparin may be used for both prevention and the treatment of thrombosis. It exists in two main forms: an "unfractionated" form that can be injected under the skin (subcutaneously) or through an intravenous infusion, and a "low molecular weight" form that is generally given subcutaneously.