Epinephrine Shortage in Colorado

August 2, 2010
From: Jenny Willis, PharmD, Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator      
RE: Epinephrine Pre-filled Syringes for COR Carts

Please share the following information with the people who report to you. In turn, ask that they share the information with members of their staffs.



Here’s what’s happening . . .

The Pharmacy is unable to obtain many of the emergency syringes including epinephrine due to a severe shortage in supply. We are completely out of the pre-filled epinephrine syringes.

When the COR Carts need to be restocked, we are now re-stocking them with epinephrine 1mg vials instead of the 1mg per 10ml pre-filled syringes.

The epinephrine vials need to be diluted prior to the patient receiving the medication. You will need to add 9ml of normal saline to the 1ml of epinephrine to equal the same concentration as the pre-filled epinephrine syringes. We have put together an epinephrine kit which includes the epinephrine 1mg vial, a 10ml vial of normal saline, a 10ml syringe and a needle.

When the pre-filled epinephrine syringes are available again (which might be awhile) we will exchange them for the vials in the COR carts.

Sorry for the inconvenience.


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