Two nurses at St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, have told CNN that they're running out of proper sedation drugs because they've had to intubate so many patients since the coronavirus epidemic began in the US.
A nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, tells CNN that their hospital is running out of fentanyl, which they used to sedate intubated Covid-19 patients.
"We are starting to run out of proper sedation medication like propofol and fentanyl," one nurse says.
"It’s hard to watch when you have to flip these people onto their bellies and use oral medications to sedate them through their feeding tubes."
SCL Health Vice President of System Communications Nikki Sloup said that their hospital system, which includes St. Joseph's Hospital, currently has an adequate supply to meet patient needs. But Sloup warns that if they experience a patient surge, it could see shortages.
"We have put in place numerous conservation programs and continue to work with public and private partners to secure the supplies we need to provide safe and appropriate care to our patients and ensure the safety of our caregivers," Sloup told CNN in a statement.
CNN reached out to Johns Hopkins Hospital for comment but did receive a response.
One nurse said they've never seen so many ventilators being put to use.
"Being on a ventilator is a package deal -- it typically comes with the addition of sedation in order to tolerate being ventilated and that’s where fentanyl comes into play," they said. "It is being used in such high doses to appropriately sedate these patients."
