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LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City firefighter paramedics contacted FOX 11 with disturbing information regarding some medications they administer to patients during emergencies.
“These actions are putting the lives of our patients in danger, and it’s putting our professional license with the state in jeopardy,” says one longtime LAFD paramedic who asked us to protect his identity.
“You have paramedics with narcotics that are expired, other medications that are expired,” another paramedic explained.
The first responders provided photos showing vials of the narcotic Midazolam, which clearly showed an expiration date of February 1, 2024. The second photo shows the vial with a sticker and a new expiration date covering the old one.
“It’s frustrating because I might be administering something to someone that expired a long time ago. I don’t know its effectiveness. I don’t know if they’re getting the full dose,” says an LAFD paramedic.
Our sources say they sent emails to management, including Chief Kristin Crowley. They say they outlined their concerns with using expired medications, but they tell FOX 11 that their emails were ignored.
The frustrated paramedics called Pfiser, the manufacturer of the narcotic Midazolam, to ask if it was ok to use the drug after it had expired. They were told there is zero extension on that narcotic. FOX 11 also contacted the manufacturer.
Pfizer did not recommend using after expiration because, “The potency beyond the expiration date cannot be assured and we don’t have information on the stability or the safety of the product after expiration.”
The LAFD issued the following statement:
A paramedic with over 20 years of experience says, “They just make up the rules as they go and think that nothing applies to them because the county does nothing about it. They don’t take accountability. The city doesn’t take accountability.”
(source)
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