California Hospital Association Releases Guidelines for Anticoagulant Use

Hospitals should only purchase commercially available, standard concentrations of intravenous heparin infusions and limit the variety of concentrations and sizes purchased for both large volume parenteral containers and vials, according to High Alert Medication Guidelines for Select Anticoagulants, a new guideline for anticoagulant therapy released by the California Hospital Association’s Medication Safety Committee. The guideline focuses on safety strategies for the anticoagulants that are currently most commonly used, including heparin, warfarin, and low molecular weight heparin.