Anesthesia Shortage: What It Means for Your Surgery Center

Written by Rob Kurtz | June 03, 2010

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Amy Mowles is president and CEO of Mowles Medical Practice Management.

Q: I've been reading about the propofol recall and shortage. What might this mean for my ASC?

Amy Mowles: There is a shortage on supply since it is only a European company selling it while the two manufacturers change their process. If I were looking for drugs in short supply, I would be contacting the FDA.

The challenge also is that there is no substitute for propofol. The problem is that anyone using propofol is used to the fast effect so if substituting a moderate sedation agent everything gets slowed down especially PACU and RN staffing. ASCs using propofol with an intent to provide moderate "quick" sedation would be best to use something with a similar effect and of course be prepared to react appropriately if the patient had a deeper effect than intended.

The answer would not be to go to Versed and/or Fentanyl as those drugs produce a moderate sedation effect as well but the recovery is slower so I would think that would not be the right choice for ASCs with fast turnover and short recovery. If you talk to an ASC anesthesia group, the physicians would know other drugs with hopefully similar effect. As I said earlier, they should also be calling the FDA for how to get drugs in short supply.

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