Absorbant pad for applying anti-coagulant

1. Field of the Invention A sterile, absorbent, lint-free, soft, and at least slightly abrasive pad is impregnated with an anti-coagulant. The pad is packaged in a sterile pouch and the pouch is opened to apply the anti-coagulant to an intravenous device such as a catheter or stent device, to clean blood from a used needle or to decontaminate an operating room surface. The anti-coagulant is preferably heparin-benzalkonium chloride formulated in a solution of 1.5% heparin-benzalkonium chloride by weight or volume, containing 850 USP heparin units per milliliter in a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol.