toh

April 3, 2013 – The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Program delivers world-class cancer care for the residents of the Champlain Region. As part of its patient quality and safety program, it has policies and procedures in place which are designed to minimize the risk of errors involving chemotherapy orders. These procedures include the preparation of chemotherapy doses.

Recent reports have found that patients in Oshawa, Peterborough, London and Windsor received lower-than-intended doses of chemotherapy medications. All four hospitals in question used the same supplier for their cyclophosphamide, a component of the chemotherapy cocktail given to patients.

The Ottawa Hospital and its satellite locations do not use the same supplier and have not had any cases of patients receiving lower-than-intended doses of chemotherapy medications. The Hospital’s supplier provides one specific concentration of reconstituted cyclophosphamide that is clearly marked on the bag. Extensive tracking information from the manufacturer is also on the reconstituted product for quality assurance measures. The appropriate volume of reconstituted cyclophosphamide is then diluted on site at The Ottawa Hospital in the prescribed solution, to prepare the specific chemotherapy dose prescribed by the oncologist.

We would like to reassure our patients that The Ottawa Hospital and its satellite locations take all possible precautions to ensure patients receive the correct medication and dose prescribed.

Media Contact:
Hazel Harding
Communications Advisor
The Ottawa Hospital
Email: hharding@toh.on.ca
Tel.: 613-737-8460