Fentanyl pain patches recalled due to gel leaks

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

found @ ana smart briefs:

fentanyl pain patches recalled due to gel leaks

sandoz on tuesday recalled some batches of duragesic painkiller patches with fentanyl due to possible gel leaks that can result in lethal overdoses in patients or caregivers. the recall affects patches distributed in the u.s. and canada that release 25 micrograms of fentanyl per hour with expiry dates on or before december 2009.

forbes/afx news limited/associated press

[Dolce, RN]

Wow, good to know. I'm not much of a fan of fentanyl patches anyway because I am always worried one will get lost or stolen from a patient. One facility that I work for is so paranoid about the patches (due to a history of a nurse stealing them there) that they monitor them like hawks. If one is missing from a patient they will call the police! It makes me paranoid to take care of patients with fentanyl patches because I'm worried one will get lost and I'll be called on the carpet for it!