PBMC Nursery Eliminates
Potentially Dangerous Medication 

At a recent Pediatric Department meeting, the pediatricians voted unanimously to immediately eliminate the use of heparin, a medication used to prevent intravenous lines from clotting, in the newborn nursery. The change has been prompted by several high profile cases in other hospitals where "adult strength" heparin was inadvertently given to infants leading to their deaths.

"We have used this medication safely and without incident for many years at PBMC," said Dr. Bill Stephenson, Chairman of the Pediatric Department. "However, recent studies have shown that substituting saline as a harmless alternative can be just as effective, making our decision to change an easy one." 

Dr. Dana Goldsmith, a pediatrician and Vice President of Medical Affairs at the hospital, noted that the confusion that led to those fatal errors had to do with look-alike vials that contained vastly different concentrations of heparin.

"We have eliminated even the slightest possibility of human error by taking this medication out of our nursery entirely," Goldsmith said. "This initiative was enthusiastically supported by all of our clinicians who care for infants at PBMC, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists." 

"Keeping in line with the evolving culture of safety in hospitals, this action is in step with recent recommendations nation-wide and helps to ensure that PBMC is maintaining the highest level of medication safety for our patients of all ages," said Paula Delahanty, Vice President of Nursing at PBMC.   

According to Jeff Kubel, PBMC Pharmacy Director, the number of medication errors that adversely affect patients at PBMC is exceptionally low compared to national standards, and should decrease even further with the expanded use of computerized medication prescribing being implemented this year.

"This is yet another example of the changes we make every day to ensure the highest degree of medication safety in our hospital," Kubel said. 

Penobscot Bay Medical Center is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which includes Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, Quarry Hill Retirement Community, the Knox Center for Long Term Care and the Mid-Coast Mental Health Center. Through these organizations, and a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,700 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide members of our community with a continuum of care from birth throughout their lives. For more information, please visit www.penbayhealthcare.org.