The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health June 4 liaised with the city Eye Hospital about 22 patients going blind after undergoing cataract surgeries.
The Eye Hospital carried out eye operations on the 22 patients. However, all patients have returned to hospital because the surgeries left them blind. Since, seven patients have been discharged from the hospital, but the rest remain, still unable to see.
According to Dr. Lam Kim Phung, the Eye Hospital’s deputy director, tests of equipment samples and drugs showed that were Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (pink-red rods) present in the gram-stained of trypan blue.
The agent is a surgical aid used to stain the retinal membrane during cataract ophthalmologic surgeries.
The Indian Khosla Pharmaceutical Compny makes the drug. Dr. Phung said the hospital opted for an Indian-made drug because the pharmaceutical company won the bidding.
According to foreign experts, the blue dye is intended for use in the process known as phacoemulsification and the hospital claims the Ministry of Health approved the use of the dye in eye operations.
In addition, the hospital’s scientific council had a meeting to examine the operation procedures, concluding that everything was conducted properly.
The Department of Health June 4 ordered the hospital to stop using the blue dye at medical clinics in the city.
