Inpatient Providers: UFH for VTE Prophylaxis Only Available via Epic Order Sets

You can only order subcutaneous unfractionated heparin (UFH) for VTE prophylaxis through Epic order sets and no longer as a stand-alone order. Stand-alone orders don’t have guidance around the appropriate dose to select, and multiple ordering pathways, including stand-alone orders, have led to inappropriate dosing of UFH for VTE prophylaxis.

Before selecting a subcutaneous dose of heparin for VTE prophylaxis, you must assess the patient’s bleed risk and weight to help guide UFH dosing. If a patient is assessed to be a high bleed risk, then heparin 5000 units SQ every 12 hours will be the defaulted dose. If a patient isn’t a high bleed risk, then the dose will be selected based on weight as shown here.