Safety and quality update

New Safety Alert 

Critical recall of Reynard antiseptic skin prep products

ANZCA recently published a Safety Alert to advise of the TGA critical recall notice for Reynard antiseptic skin prep products. Read more here.

See all Safety Alerts

Updated GLP-1 receptor agonist guideline

The updated consensus guideline, Clinical Practice Recommendations regarding patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor co-agonists prior to anaesthesia or sedation for surgical and endoscopic procedures, was recently published on the ANZCA website.

Supply issue affecting propofol availability in New Zealand

Te Pātaka Whaioranga – Pharmac has issued a Medicines notice for supply issues affecting the availability of Propofol (10 mg per ml) 50 ml and 100 ml vials in New Zealand.

Stock levels are now critically low and there may not be enough to meet current demand. Despite future planned deliveries, some surgeries across New Zealand may be impacted because of this supply issue.

Fresenius Kabi is expecting a large shipment of stock into Australia on 21 April and will work with its freight-forwarder to expedite stock by airfreight to New Zealand. 

If you have questions about this issue, email [email protected]. 

Discontinuation of supply of BRIDION®

MSD has discontinued the distribution and supply of BRIDION® (sugammadex) 100mg/ml 10x2ml vial and 10x5ml vial in Australia, effective 1 April 2025. The discontinuation is unrelated to product quality or a safety issue.

For questions regarding supply, call MSD Customer Service on 1800 678 883.

RCH – Sepsis Clinical Practice Guidelines 

The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne has published Sepsis – assessment and management clinical guidelines on its website, which includes links to local (NSW, Qld and WA) sepsis pathways. 

Have you read the latest webAIRS article in the ANZCA Bulletin Autumn 2025?

Wrong-route medication administration involving neuraxial and intravenous lines

‘Neuraxial anaesthesia is increasingly utilised due to its opioid-sparing effects and association with improved outcomes. Wrong-route medication errors, such as intravenous drugs being administered intrathecally, are a particular concern, partly due to the ubiquity of Luer-lock connectors’.

Join us at the WebAIRS presentation at the ANZCA ASM Cairns Monday 5 May  ‘Future proofing anaesthetic management: Innovations and insights from webAIRS’.

In this presentation we explore incidents reported to webAIRS involving central venous lines, preventing wrong-sided nerve blocks and paediatric incidents in the radiology suite.

Help improve patient outcomes in anaesthesia. Register or login: webAIRS

For more information: [email protected]