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Please be advised the following monographs have been updated on the Drug Monographs page. For IV Parenteral Drug Manual holders, please add/replace/discard as indicated.

REPLACE ADULT Monograph:
Discard the old monograph, PRINT (using the hyperlink) & replace with the new monograph in the Adult Parenteral Drug Monograph Manual as listed below:

Medication/TopicApproved Changes
atropineDosage: added drug-induces conduction impairment
mathylene blueNEW
neostigmineDosage: added dose varies depending on depth of blockage: 0.02 to 0.07 mg/kg IV under neuromuscular blockade antagonism
oxytocin labour inductionDosage: added 4 milliunit/min according to SOGC dosing protocol
phenytoinReconstitution table for IV Bolus: adjusted diluent volume and final volume
potassium chlorideRevised availability of pre-mixed bags table
pralidoximeReconstitution tables: added
Dosage: updated per antidote list
protamineDosage: updated according to antidote list
vancomycinAdded: exception Eugia brand under mini-bag plus compatible

Submitted by: Cécile Dumesnil, Manager – Pharmacy
For more info. contact: 204-371-5952 or

Patient Safety has created a Safety Event Report template for staff to document and report any VECTRS Concerns.

Please use this template when documenting an event that occurs relating to VECTRS. This way we can track this data more effectively.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the Patient Safety Coordinators.

Submitted by: Tara Roberts & Pam Gunn, Patient Safety Coordinators
For more information contact: Tara or Pam

Attention All Staff:

There has been a significant rise in measles cases in many parts of the world, including recent cases across Canada. Measles is one of the most infectious viruses as it spreads via the airborne route and through close contact with respiratory secretions. It also has a significant burden of morbidity and mortality, with complications such as otitis media and bronchopneumonia occurring in about 10% of reported cases, encephalitis occurring in approximately 1 of every 1,000 reported cases, and may result in permanent brain damage or death.

With an increase of recent cases in Canada, measles has shown up in Manitoba including Southern Health-Santé Sud. With pockets of our health region having low immunization rates for measles, there is a need for extra vigilance. We want to be prepared for staff contact tracing should exposures to measles occur.

If Southern Health-Santé Sud staff are exposed to a measles case, they will be required to provide documentation of two doses of measles vaccine OR documentation of immunity to measles through bloodwork OR documented evidence of previous infection. If there is no documentation available, staff will be required to be off work from Day 5-21 following the exposure.

As such, we strongly encourage you to prepare for the following:

  1. For those immunized in 1988 to present, request your immunization record online at Your Immunization Record Matters
  2. If you do not have documentation of two doses of measles vaccination AND do not have documentation of immunity, you should be vaccinated. Contact your Health Care Provider, Public Health or Occupational Health to be vaccinated.
  3. If you are certain you have been immunized with two doses of measles vaccine or had a previous infection, but have no documentation, you can get serology (bloodwork) to test for immunity to measles – contact your Health Care Provider to order bloodwork and request a copy of your results.
  4. Keep your documentation of immunization or immunity at hand, to provide to your Site Infection Control Practitioner if required for contact tracing.

Please post the Managing Measles Presentations in your emergency departments across the region and reference the information on Measles Immunizations.

Please see information regarding Measles Cases confirmed in Manitoba.

Weekend infection control coverage will be provided to support measles outbreaks, contract tracing and consultation as required. A contact will be in place for Friday, February 7 at 1600 to Monday, February at 0800 hours as follows: Infection Control Practitioner at 204-331-8888. Moving forward, the need for weekend coverage will be assessed and communicated if deemed necessary.

Thank-you!

Submitted By: Staff Development and Infection Prevention & Control
For more info. contact: Debbie Rigaux, Director, Health Services – Staff Development and Infection Prevention & Control at
204-905-4339 or and Infection Prevention & Control Regional Coordinators, Paula Enns & Shelly Rempel

Betahistine 8 mg, 16 mg and 24 mg tablets are on back order and supply may deplete prior to its return.

For the treatment of Meniere’s disease, a case by case assessment of alternatives and therapy will need to be discussed with prescribers.

Note: Retail pharmacies may have depleted or soon will deplete their on-hand supply. For patients receiving betahistine ensure that a supply is available at the patient’s community pharmacy prior to discharge.

Details regarding depletion of inventory will be communicated on a site-specific basis.

Thank you for your support of the ongoing efforts to manage drug supply issues. For questions, please contact your site pharmacy or Rizwan Ahmed or Libby Gair

Submitted by: Pharmacy Program

Please see below Best Practice Reminder relating to Pyxis – Contingency Process for your distribution to clinical staff in units with Pyxis machines.

A potential patient safety risk has been identified with BD Pyxis Med Station ES and BD Pyxis CII Safe ES systems.

We have received notification from the vendor of an issue with the software which may result in delay in access to medication. We are aware of two instances in Manitoba in the last year where there was a delay lasting greater than 60 seconds (from time of entering credentials to medication access).

A software version update will be released later this year to rectify the issue; the timeline for Manitoba implementation will be shared when available.

To minimize the impact to patients if a delay in access should occur, please review the following recommendations:

  • Providers must be aware of local downtime processes for Pyxis interruptions, including how to use Global Find, and when to access medications using the Override function.
  • Providers must be aware of nearby alternative inventory supplies, such as another nearby Med Station, ward stock supply, emergency kits or code blue trays as well as the process to access medication urgently from site pharmacy.

If clinicians encounter this issue please advise site Pharmacy and Patient Care Managers and complete a product complaint form. Follow your local reporting process for patient safety events (e.g. RL reporting, or other process) if required.

If you have any questions, please contact your site Pharmacy leadership

Submitted by: Acute Care

Please see Diagnostic Services Clinical Communication regarding Hospital Phlebotomy Collection Tube Updates – Clinical Biochemistry.

Action required: Please forward this communication to all applicable hospital sites, ward clerks, and nursing staff as well as any other appropriate staff/personnel

Submitted by: Clinical Practice Change, Shared Health

All single ingredient Timolol eye drops are on backorder and stock will deplete prior to its return.

Timolol 0.25%, 0.25% XE, 0.5%, 0.5% XE
Alternative glaucoma eye drops with beta blockers remain available:

  • Betaxolol 0.25%
  • Latanoprost 0.005% / Timolol 0.5%
  • Travoprost 0.004% / Timolol 0.5%
  • Brimonidine 0.2% / Timolol 0.5%
  • Dorzolamide 2% / Timolol 0.5%
  • Brinzalomide 1% / Timolol 0.5%

Pharmacists will need to contact prescribers to determine the most suitable alternative. Details regarding depletion of inventory will be communicated on a site-specific basis.

Thank you for your support of the ongoing efforts to manage drug supply issues.

For questions, please contact your site pharmacy or:

Rizwan Ahmed or Libby Gair

Submitted by: Rizwan Ahmed, Director of Pharmacy & Libby Gair, Drug Distribution Supervisor

To help improve user experience, Digital Shared Services will soon be rolling out a new piece of software called Lenovo Dock Manger to all managed laptops in the health system. This software will automatically provide updates to docking station accessories (see image below) when users connect to them.

lenovo dock manager

When docking station updates are available, users will be alerted when the installation begins by a pop-up message in the bottom-right hand of the screen (see image below). Please follow any prompts to complete installation.

screencaptures of the firmware installation process
The firmware installation process

If you encounter any issues with the installation, please contact the Service Desk at 204-940-8500, 1-866-999-9698, or email.

Submitted by: Shared Health

For all subscribers: Please be advised that the Admin Update and Clinical Update mailout day will change to Fridays starting next week. No action needed.

For submission requests please submit by Thursdays to ensure your post(s) are included in Fridays mailout.

Submitted by: Communications
For more info. contact:

A provincial backorder alert for 40 mEq Potassium Chloride in 5% Dextrose and 9% Sodium Chloride 1000mL IV bags (see below) is expected to resolve by March, 2025. SH-SS expects to have stock available to last until the end of Feb, 2025.
Potassium Chloride details

BACKORDER: SH-SS SKU 01091
SOLN KCL 40MMOL 5%DEX
0.9%NACL 1000ML
Baxter Product Code: 2B2454X
Supplied: 15EA/CA

In an ongoing effort to mitigate supply disruption, Supply Chain Management-Shared Services (SCMSS) Value Analysis along with Shared Health Pharmacy Clinical Staff, have identified the following **ALTERNATE options:
**Clinicians are encouraged to select ALTERNATE IV solutions, based on the clinical status of the patient

SH-SS clinical staff use SKU #s below for ordering:

SKU 009790

Baxter REF#JB1674

SOLN KCL 40MMOL 5%DEX 0.45%NACL 1000ML

SKU 01092

Baxter REF#JB2434

SOLN KCL 20MMOL 5%DEX 0.9%NACL 1000ML

SKU 00230

Baxter REF#JB1654

SOLN KCL 20MMOL 5%DEX 0.45%NACL 1000ML

SKU 00978

Baxter REF#JB1984

SOLN KCL 40MMOL 0.9%NACL 1000ML

SKU 01089

Baxter REF#JB1264

SOLN KCL 40MMOL 5%DEX 1000ML

Access the print version to post for staff as needed.

Submitted by: Tamara Burnham, Collaborative Practice Lead

Healthier people. Healthier communities. Thriving together.
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