The problem of drug shortages in the emergency department
I first experienced the impact of drug shortages in the U.S. in my first month of my residency training in emergency medicine. The most common drug used to sedate patients for intubation, etomidate, was on national shortage. I learned to use the second most common drug, Propofol, until it went on shortage too. We use it as the first line medication for sedation for painful procedures like re-aligning broken bones, …
