Find A Lawyer
Near You

Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with a qualified attorney near you.

Heparin

Heparin, the anti-bloodclotting drug used extensively throughout hospitals across the United States, has been in the news most recently because of the huge recall of heparin supplied by Baxter International in February 2008. The recalled heparin, which may be contaminated, may have caused dangerous side effects in hundreds of patients who were administered this anti-coagulant drug during their medical treatment.

Although heparin is sometimes referred to as a blood thinner, this is not accurate; heparin does not thin the blood. It cannot dissolve blood clots that already exist — it prevents clots from forming and may keep existing clots from becoming larger.

Incorrect Dosing of Heparin

Heparin was also in the news in November 2007, when it was revealed that the twin babies of actor Dennis Quaid were administered a 10,000-times too strong dose of heparin at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The babies have recovered, and Quaid has sued both the Medical Center and Baxter, heparin's manufacturer. It has been reported that heparin is one of eight drugs that account for some 30 percent of the hundreds of dosing mistakes each year in the U.S.

Heparin from Pig Intestines

Although heparin is a natural substance, its use as an anti-clotting drug didn't begin until the 1940s. The first version of manufactured heparin was made from liver cells from dogs. Nowadays, almost all heparin is made from the mucosal lining of the intestines of pigs, most of which are raised in China for this purpose.

The recalled Baxter heparin is from these pig products from China, raising the issue once again of the quality of products imported into the U.S. from China and of the oversight (or lack of oversight) of Chinese imports.

Heparin Uses

Heparin is used to keep the blood from clotting during open-heart surgery and dialysis, and many other applications, such as:

  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) treatment
  • Pulmonary embolism treatment

A solution containing heparin is also sometimes used to flush out catheters to keep clots out. However, this practice has come under fire as providing an unnecessary heparin risk. After the Quaid babies’ incident at Cedars-Sinai, the medical center implemented a policy replacing the heparin-flush with a saline solution.

Heparin and Your Legal Rights

If you have been injured by heparin, contact us today to discuss your case with an experienced attorney. You may be entitled to compensation for your losses.

More Heparin Resources