low molecular weight heparins are a group of drugs derived from heparin that are generally safer than normal heparin due to their lower risk of bleeding in this mnemonic video we'll cover the important facts you need to know about low molecular weight heparins so you'll be ready for the nclex it's the holiday season and the parents are putting the final touches on their kids presents they must have been good this year let's take a closer look at their presence for the boy an action figure with a little toy harpoon if you've seen our video on heparin you'd know that a harpoon is our recurring symbol for heparin it's the heparin harpoon and since in this scene we have a little tiny toy harpoon that can serve as your memory anchor to today's topic low molecular weight heparins get it because this toy harpoon is a smaller miniature version of the real thing kind of like how low molecular weight heparins are a smaller modified version of heparin now that you are anchored to this scene let's move on to talk about the specific drug names of low molecular weight heparins that you might encounter on the nclex as dad finishes up the gifts mom is putting her feet up and relaxing and there's no better way to relax on christmas eve than by drinking eggnog this eggnog should help you remember the drug name in oxiparin you know since eggnog sounds like an oxiparin nanoxiparin is a low molecular weight heparin commonly called by its brand name lovanox and you'll likely hear this name in clinical practice but for the nclex make sure you remember the generic name of enoch's apparent since that's what will be on the test just remember the eggnog and you'll be set along with eggnog the mom is indulging in some christmas fondue this fondue should help you remember fonda paranux you can even think of it as fondue paradox if that helps fonda paranox is another drug that is not nearly as commonly used as the noxiparin but you may still come across it on test day for the pharmacology buffs out there it's worth noting that fonda paranox is technically not a low molecular weight heparin but rather a related compound with a similar mechanism of action since fonda paranox basically works in the exact same way i think it's worth learning these drugs together there's one more drug name to know so let's move on for the little girl santa's bringing her a doll into dollhouse this doll should help you remember dolta paren get it a doll for doll to parent now that we know all the drug names let's move on to the clinical uses of low molecular weight heparins the last thing left to finish is painting the dollhouse red in order to get a nice smooth coat of paint the dad is mixing paint thinner in with the red paint after all nobody likes painting with clumpy paint the way the paint thinner keeps the blood red paint from clumping reminds me of how low molecular weight heparins work as blood thinners preventing blood from clotting see the connection as a heparin derivative low molecular weight heparins have a similar use to prevent blood clots however low molecular weight heparins are synthetically engineered to be a lot more predictable in how they react in the body for this reason they don't require the intense blood level monitoring that is required with normal heparin therapy but just like with normal heparin the low molecular weight heparins are used to prevent blood clot formation in patients who are at an increased risk of developing blood clots one of the most common clinical uses you'll encounter is patients who have recently had surgery and consequently have limited mobility thereby increasing their risk of developing deep vein thrombosis or dvt alright with the clinical use mastered let's move on to talk about some potential side effects as the mom reaches across the table to dip her bread in the fondue pot she is knocking over a stack of plates maybe if she wasn't chugging eggnog at the same time she could have prevented this accident these falling plates should help you remember that low molecular weight heparins can cause lower platelets get it falling plates for lowering platelets the technical term for a low platelet count is thrombocytopenia just like with normal heparin low molecular weight heparins can cause a quick drop in platelet counts in what is known as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia it's a good idea to keep an eye on the patient's cbc to watch for low platelet levels although this isn't nearly as common here as it is with patients taking normal heparin the falling plates are shattering on the floor at the mom's feet and the glass shards are cutting her legs making her bleed this can remind you that another potential side effect is bleeding although again it's not nearly as big of a problem as with normal heparin but this side effect should make sense i mean the purpose of low molecular weight heparins is to prevent the blood from clotting so you would expect the patient to bleed longer than normal while on blood thinners right like i mentioned before no intense monitoring is needed for low molecular weight heparins but it's still a good idea to keep an eye out for signs and symptoms of severe bleeding as well as check in on the patient's cbc alright that's all for this mnemonic let's recap low molecular weight heparins are a heparin derivative that include the drugs anoxiparon fonda paranox and daltoparin they are used to prevent blood clots especially in post-surgery patients who are at an increased risk of dvts due to limited mobility low molecular weight heparins are considered safer than normal or unfractionated heparin although potential side effects include a lowered platelet count or thrombocytopenia as well as bleeding and now we're actually done with the low molecular weight heparins learning farm this easily is kind of like getting presents for the holidays wouldn't you say i'll see you in the next one thanks for watching for more videos like this one subscribe to our channel and check out our newest lessons for more resources on this topic including fact lists and interactive review images click the image next to the more here arrow i'll see you next time