St. Catherine Hospital not affected by recent Meningitis cases

Recent news reports are citing contaminated steroid injections as the cause of multiple cases of meningitis in at least six states. These steroid injections have been traced back to New England Compounding Center (NECC), a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts. NECC has recalled several lots of their preservative free methylprednisolone 80 mg/ml for injection.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include severe and worsening headache, nausea, dizziness and fever.

 St. Catherine Hospital does not purchase any preparations from NECC. All steroid injections are purchased through wholesaler, Amerisource Bergen, which receives shipments directly from manufactures such as Pfizer.

 “These drugs are most commonly used to relieve chronic back pain,” said Director of Anesthesia Greg Seiler, CRNA. “These drugs are not used in a labor epidural so those patients are not affected. Steroid epidural injections have been a safe and effective method of reducing pain for many years.”

 We understand these news reports may cause anxiety from the public and wish to express our sympathy to the family and patients who have been affected. Please do not hesitate to contact Victor Hawkins, Executive Director Marketing & Development at (620) 272-2567.