Operations at Peterborough City Hospital set to postponed due to global shortages
Some operations at Peterborough City Hospital are set to be delayed due to a global shortage of bone cement.
Bone cement is most often used in joint replacement surgery.
The shortage comes after the main supplier, Heraeus Medical, has been forced to temporarily halt production at its main site in Germany.
The hospital confirmed that the need for bone cement will be prioritised and that some planned surgeries would need to be postponed over the coming weeks.
A statement said: “At Peterborough City Hospital, like other NHS hospitals, we are prioritising our use of bone cement to treat patients with the greatest clinical need which will enable us to preserve our current supply.
“We are doing all we can to keep the impact of this issue to a minimum, but we will need to postpone some planned surgery over the coming weeks. We recognise how frustrating and disappointing this will be for patients who will have already waited a long time for their procedure.
“If your surgery needs to be postponed, please be assured we will contact you directly. Thank you for your patience.”