Shortage of Drugs Worrying Anaesthesiologists

The shortage of drugs that is ongoing in Canada has the anesthesiologists fearing what they should do when they do not have sufficient drugs to do a surgery or the painkillers required by the patient to keep him comfortable post and before the surgery. For related updates on medication availability, see Clarifying the Tamiflu Shortage.

Nurse anesthesiologists say that the hospitals are stocking up whatever they have, figuring out what their typical usages are and how long the stocks that they have will last. The doctors are looking to see what supplies Sandoz will be able to ship across to them.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was concerned about the quality of standards, which led to Sandoz Canada cutting production of close to 100 medications, and it is at the epicenter of the rising drug shortage. Concerns about safety and oversight are also discussed in Dangerous Drugs on the Market.

On Tuesday, two of Vancouver’s hospitals postponed some elective heart surgeries for over nine patients as they were worried about the declining stocks of critical, affordable prescription medication that would leave the doctors helpless when it came to dealing with emergency cardiac arrests. They are trying to reschedule the surgeries as quickly as possible, while some have already been rescheduled, according to the hospitals.

Apparently, this has not had much impact on patient care. The Prime Minister admitted to the shortage of drugs and that it might create difficult problems, but he also assured that the government is looking into a possible solution for the problem. You can also read more about how supply issues impact care in Shortage of Drugs Worrying Anaesthesiologists.

Anthony Dale admitted that he was not aware of the fact that there were any cancellations in surgery in any of the 150 hospitals in the province. However, the Cardiac Care Network is worried about the depleting stocks of protamine, which is required for heart operations. Dale said that they are managing their supplies carefully. Chisholm is worried about the supply gaps created for other medicines, especially the pre-surgical drugs that are needed to reduce the anxiety in the patients, as well as narcotics required post-operation to lessen their pain. For more on why certain painkillers are becoming harder to access, see Canadian Prescriptions for Painkillers Harder to Obtain.

Chisholm is not worried about the anesthetics, as he has some that have been produced by companies other than Sandoz. There are a couple of medications that he needs that only the Quebec factory can provide; among them are nausea medication as well as medication for vomiting.