Grand River, Cambridge Memorial, Groves Memorial and Guelph General hospitals continue to work together to manage the ongoing shortage of epidural catheters.
All hospitals currently have supply in stock and Waterloo Wellington patients have not been impacted.
Waterloo Wellington hospitals continue to meet regularly, ensuring supplies are monitored, conserved and shared. Ontario Health also continues to watch provincial stock closely and have started to plan how they will address this ongoing issue should it continue.
Should supply become an issue, Waterloo Wellington hospitals will communicate how epidural catheters will be managed to ensure that epidural catheters are available for high priority patients.
As always, our commitment is to ensure all patients have access to pain management support should they want it during childbirth or while undergoing a lower extremity surgery.
Not related to the supply shortage, there are many medical reasons why a patient might not get an epidural when requested. If you have questions about your specific situation, you are encouraged to speak to your doctor or care team.
Please check the Grand River, Cambridge Memorial, Groves Memorial and Guelph General Hospital websites for ongoing updates.