What can excessive heparin usage during dialysis lead to?

Excessive heparin usage during dialysis can lead to increased bleeding after treatment because heparin is an anticoagulant, which means it prevents blood clotting. When the dosage of heparin is higher than necessary, the patient's blood could remain too thin even after the dialysis session has ended. This heightened anticoagulation can put the patient at a serious risk for excessive bleeding, whether from vascular access sites, during or after treatment, or in more severe cases, potentially leading to internal bleeding.

Monitoring heparin dosage is essential to maintain a balance between preventing clotting in the dialysis circuit and ensuring that the patient does not experience adverse bleeding complications. While other factors like thrombus formation or prolonged dialysis sessions could theoretically be affected by heparin levels, they do not directly relate to the specific risks associated with excess use as prominently as increased bleeding does.