Circulation 34,475 • Volume 16, No. 1 • Spring 2001

Medication Shortage Safety Reports Sought by APSF

Potential adverse patient safety implications of the recent shortage of common anesthetic medications have been widely discusses but not documented.

General discussions during breaks and meals at various meetings and programs over the spring contained reports of an increased incidence of postop ventilatory depression attributed to morphine substituted for (unavailable) fentanyl.

Newsletter readers are invited to submit to the Editor (see Pg. 2, lower right) case reports, case series, letters, and even articles on their experiences with any adverse patient safety issues associated in any way with the medication shortage.