Sore at Heparin injection site

[sarah]

My fiance had daily Heparin shots when he was in the hospital for hip surgery and had always had a little sore from the shots in his stomach, but he's been out of the hospital for over 3 months and still has a sore. Any nurses or doctors out there that can tell me if this is normal and if it will go away? Also, anyone with similar experience and did it go away?

[AbeLincolnParty]

I assume they gave SubQ shots, they are suppose to rotate the injection site. Irritation and hematomas (collections of blood) can develop.

Sometimes the hematomas require surgery to remove. Then there is always a risk of infection with any injection.

see the following Merck Manual link:

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/lexicomp/heparin.html

He needs to be seen by a doctor.

[fijijenn]

It is a very common symptom/side effect of most injections to have soreness and/or tenderness around the injection site for a few days after the injection.

However, if this soreness persists for more than 3-5 days, or if the skin around the site becomes inflamed, red or abnormal in appearance, then this is something that needs to be assessed by a medical professional right away! If he has had a sore around his injection site for over three months, then this is not normal and he needs to get to a doctor right away, as the site may be infected. If you do not get the infection under control, then it can infiltrate the blood stream causing sepsis, which is very serious.

So please advise him to have it looked at by his doctor.

[tinmuning]

Soreness at the injection site should occur up to a few days since the injection was made. If it persists beyond that, the patient is advised to consult with his/her doctor.