Propofol is the drug used primarily for anesthesia for acute illness. It is an important drug in the healthcare effort for those affected by covid-19. When a patient's breathing needs to be supported by a respirator, patients may sometimes need to be anesthetized and kept anesthetized with the help of Propofol.
SVT Nyheter has received internal e-mails from one of Stockholm's larger hospitals that treat corona patients. The e-mails are sent to the care staff who work with covid patients and show that there is an acute lack of sleep medicine.
In the first e-mail entitled "Propofol deficiency!" it appears that the region's lack of the drug is so acute that the hospital's operating department will use the alternative anesthetic Pento.
The alternative medicine, Pento, is, according to the email, "unfortunately much more often associated with laryngospasm", which is a temporary spasm that occurs in the larynx passage and which further complicates the patient's breathing.
The latter email shows that the new directives do not only apply to the operations department. Even on IVA and covid-IVA, hard priorities have to be made regarding medication.
SVT News can also get the information about the lack of medicines confirmed from a source with good insight into the situation.
- Right now, there is a shortage in the entire region of the sleep drug Propofol that we use both in the operations department and in the intensive care unit. Many of those infected by corona need a respirator to breathe and then they need to be anesthetized, the source says.
"There is a concern that it will end" Sweden's regions will initiate national cooperation to ensure that the stock of the medicines used on the intensive care unit will last a longer time. The Stockholm region's goal is to secure the stock for two weeks ahead. The hospitals, in turn, work according to the region's Medicines Committee, with between two and three days ahead.
- What has been critical and that we have focused on is Propofol and similar medicines needed to anesthetize people in intensive care. There, the supply has increased more than we thought and we have really made an effort to try to secure the supply, ”says Gerd Lärfars, who is the unit manager at the health and medical administration.
But the situation is critical now that demand is unusually high and the region has therefore contacted pharmaceutical manufacturers to try to get them to increase their rate of production.
- We hope that those who manufacture medicine and protective equipment will be able to increase their production so that we can solve this situation, says Gerd Lärfars.
She thinks there is a concern that the drug will end. But emphasizes that patients and relatives should know that intensive work is in progress, with the help of intensive care specialists trying to get a clearer picture of how to solve the situation.
- I do not want to say that it is not an important issue and that one should not be worried, but people should know that we work very hard and on a broad front to secure stocks or in cases where alternative medicines cannot be found, says Gerd Lärfars.