MGMGH had raised the occurrence of multiple serious adverse cardiac events suspected to be associated with the administration of the Dexamethasone injection.
Three patients, including a 20-year-old nursing student, who died during an elective septoplasty, developed severe cardiovascular complications suspected to be associated with the intravenous administration of Injection Dexamethasone 8 mg (Batch No. CHI-60004) during perioperative management at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH), Tiruchi. Following the adverse cardiac events, hospital authorities flagged concerns regarding the safety of the drug with health officials after which the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) has initiated testing of the drug batch.On May 29, S. Kumaravel, dean of MGMGH, Tiruchi, wrote to the Director of Medical Education and Research seeking urgent drug analysis and necessary action on a report from the hospital’s Professor and Head of Department, Anaesthesiology regarding suspected adverse reactions associated with the particular batch of injection Dexamethasone 8 mg ampoule supplied by TNMSC. The drug is a synthetic corticosteroid used to treat including severe inflammation and allergic reactionsIn the letter seen by The Hindu, the hospital raised the occurrence of multiple serious adverse cardiac events suspected to be associated with the administration of the Dexamethasone injection manufactured by Cotec HealthCare Ltd, Roorkee batch number CHI-60004 at MGMGH.Three patients, who received the drug from the specific batch during perioperative management developed severe cardiovascular complications immediately following its intravenous administration. The observed adverse events include ventricular tachyarrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, severe left ventricular dysfunction, hypotension and refractory cardiogenic shock.On May 28, a 49-year-old woman who was posted for elective mastoidectomy developed ventricular tachycardia followed by cardiomyopathy with cardiogenic shock. On the same day, a 40-year-woman posted for emergency scar ectopic gestation excision developed severe tachycardia, hypotension, non-dilated cardiomyopathy and severe left ventricular dysfunction.The letter went on to note that retrospective review identified another similar event in a 20-year-old woman, Seetha, who underwent elective septoplasty on May 22 and subsequently developed ventricular arrhythmias with refractory cardiogenic shock following administration of the same drug, it said.In view of the occurrence of similar life-threatening adverse reactions in multiple patients associated with the same batch of the drug, there is a strong suspicion regarding the safety, sterility, purity, potency, or overall quality of the pharmaceutical preparation, the hospital report said. This has been reported through the Adverse Drug Reaction monitoring mechanism to the Department of Pharmacology.Officials of TNMSC said that they received the report from MGMGH and are following the stipulated protocols. “On receiving the report, we issued a ‘stop order’ and recalled the batch of drugs. We have sent the drug for testing. We have initiated the process based on the hospital’s report. The final findings will be determined through objective evaluation,” an official said. Published - June 01, 2026 08:11 pm IST
