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University of Colorado dentists unknowingly injected as many as eight patients with a powerful sedative that was five times its usual potency after the drug was mistakenly added to the dental school’s stock in 2008—a mix-up that wasn’t discovered for 13 days, a Denver Post investigation found.
After the error came to light, dental-school administrators decided not to notify any of the patients who received the potentially dangerous levels of midazolam, a generic version of the drug Versed that is commonly used with a painkiller to sedate people undergoing everything from colonoscopies to oral surgeries. The drug depresses a patient’s central nervous system and is the subject of numerous warnings that it can slow or even halt breathing.
Dr. Denise Kassebaum, dean of the CU School of Dental Medicine, said procedures were changed after the incident but also that she did not learn about the mix-up until The Post began asking questions earlier this month.
Read more: Eight CU dental patients given potentially lethal dosages of drug – The Denver Post
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