“Over the past two weeks, Ontario Health has been working with a small number of hospitals that had urgent supply concerns,” wrote Dr. Chris Simpson, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Ontario Health, in a memo Friday obtained by CTV. New Toronto. “In all cases, supply shortages were resolved either through sharing between hospitals or by escalating requests with suppliers.” An epidural catheter, or tube, is used to administer pain medication, usually during labor. An ongoing global shortage of the devices hit Canada in late July, initially affecting western provinces more severely, according to the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society. However, the supply crisis has reached the local front with Ontario hospitals now reporting shortages. The Ontario Health memo featured a provincial census survey conducted on August 10. In it, Simpson said there is currently “adequate epidural catheter supply” provincially, while acknowledging there is “variability” in supply across hospitals along with uncertainty as to when issues will be resolved. Teleflex, a maker of surgical and medical instruments, expects the supply shortage to begin to resolve in mid-to-late September. “Existing customers should see weekly allocation and shipments, but with a lower than usual offer,” the note said. The company reports that two of its inventory holding units are currently affected by longer than average lead times for their epidural catheters. To acquire more inventory, Teleflex is moving existing and future supply from Europe. Meanwhile, Canadian Hospital Specialties, another supplier, is not facing “significant” shortages and has increased production to accommodate new customers facing shortages from other suppliers. If and when the situation worsens, Ontario Health says it is developing clinical guidelines for managing epidurals during supply shortages. In the meantime, the memo includes key messages that healthcare workers can discuss with patients seeking information. Ontario Health suggests reassuring patients that there is currently an adequate supply of epidurals and introducing the idea of alternative methods of pain control if the shortage has the potential to affect the hospital.
