False drug alarm cancels 9 heart surgeries

A false alarm over a drug shortage led to nine elective cardiac surgeries in Vancouver being postponed at two hospitals, regional officials said Wednesday. Spokesman Gavin Wilson of the regional Vancouver Coastal Health group said there was miscommunication about availability of the drug protamine, which anesthesiologists often administer during bypass surgery, the Vancouver Sun reported. Wilson said "we don't anticipate any adverse outcomes" for the patients who had their surgeries put off until later in the week and said there is a 5-week supply of the drug in British Columbia. "The cancellations were done with the best of intentions but were not necessary," he said. The drug is manufactured in Canada by Sandoz, at one of its facilities in Quebec. While undergoing technical upgrades, the plant experienced a fire and reduced its production of protamine, but hadn't stopped shipping it entirely, the report said.