The New Brunswick hospital that fired a nurse over suspicions that she gave pregnant patients a labour-inducing drug without their permission says that it believes two patients were affected.
麻豆传媒 has learned that as many as 120 emergency C-sections performed over the last two years could be involved.
In a news conference on Saturday, Moncton City Hospital chief of staff Dr. Ken Gillespie confirmed that the hospital had identified two cases of 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� Oxytocin use in its internal investigation.
鈥淥ur investigation at this point has identified these two patients, and these two patients alone,鈥� said Gillespie, who also delivers babies.
He added that both mothers and their babies are doing well, and that both families have been notified about what took place.
The RCMP confirmed to 麻豆传媒 that it launched an investigation after receiving a complaint on Mar. 27 from the Horizon Health Network involving an incident at the Moncton City Hospital.
Two weeks ago, a case requiring an emergency C-section raised suspicions that the mother had been given oxytocin without a prescription. A second suspicious incident occurred last Wednesday.
In each case, the nurse was spotted on surveillance video removing IV bags. When tested, they revealed puncture marks and traces of oxytocin. The nurse was fired not long after.
It鈥檚 unsettling news for patients such as Lisa Basque, who had an emergency C-section at the hospital last June after her baby鈥檚 heart rate plummeted. Her son, Cody, was born healthy, but she says that her experience sounds eerily familiar to those being investigated.
鈥淲hether or not I鈥檓 one of the victims, it鈥檚 just scary to think that someone would have purposely put a baby in danger, whether it was my baby or someone else鈥檚 baby,鈥� she told 麻豆传媒.
But without similar IV bag or video evidence, she and many other mothers may never know if they were also given the drug without their permission.
Gillespie said that while other cases of emergency C-sections may seem related, the numbers are not unusual for a hospital of its size.
鈥淲hen we look at our overall cesarean section rate, it鈥檚 comparable to other hospitals that do similar type of care, so we really haven鈥檛 noticed an increase,鈥� he said.
Oxyotcin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus 鈥� a small region of the brain responsible for releasing hormones and regulating body temperature 鈥� that stimulates labour contractions.
It is also a drug used regularly in pregnancies to induce or speed up labour.
Dr. Jennifer Blake, the chief executive officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, said that the drug should be given in 鈥渧ery small and regulated doses鈥� to avoid harming both mother and child.
Serious side effects include rupturing of the uterus, a very slow heart rate or retinal hemorrhage in the baby.
Gillespie said that women who gave birth in the hospital, regardless of time frame, are encouraged to make use of a phone line established for patients and family members who want more information.
A spokesperson for the New Brunswick Nurses Union declined to respond to a request for comment from 麻豆传媒.
