Two days were necessary for colon bleeding time to become normalized in patients with aspirin use. Volume 40, Number 12, December 1997. Heparin is a natural inhibitor of coagulation derived from mast cells. Treatment DVT and pulmonary embolism. It is cleared largely by the reticuloendothelial system, with a half-life of perhaps 1 hour after a bolus.
Clearance is prolonged in liver or renal failure.
Concomitant use of antiplatelet agents increases the risk of bleeding and should be avoided if possible. Stools should be monitored for signs of occult blood loss before and during heparin use. GI bleeding is a relative contraindication to heparin administration and warrants investigation for an underlying anatomic abnormality. Heparin can be reversed rapidly by infusion of protamine sulfate. Warfarin inhibits conversion of vitamin K to its active from.