If a patient does not have maintenance heparin prescribed, what should be done to the heparin infusion line?

When a patient does not have maintenance heparin prescribed, it's important to manage the heparin infusion line properly to prevent complications such as bleeding or thrombus formation. Clamping and knotting the heparin line is the most appropriate action because it effectively prevents any further heparin from being administered while also ensuring that the line is secured and minimizes the risk for accidental infusion.

Clamping the line immediately stops any flow of heparin, which is critical in this situation since the patient is no longer to receive the medication. Additionally, knotting the line can serve as a physical reminder that the line has been deactivated for safety procedures and helps ensure that it does not become inadvertently mixed up with other lines.

Other actions, such as flushing the line with saline or leaving it open, could introduce unnecessary risks. Flushing, while it may seem benign, could potentially introduce complications as it may carry some heparin into circulation or create an opportunity for air bubbles if not done very carefully. Leaving the line open also poses a risk of accidental infusion or contamination. Discarding the line altogether, though it may seem like a correct option, is not practical in this context since the line might be needed again shortly for other medication administer. Hence