Expired cardiac stents inserted in patients at PIC: Report

LAHORE: A shocking revelation has emerged from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), where expired cardiac stents were inserted into patients at PIC, ARY News reported citing Auditor General’s report.

According to Auditor General’s report, 22 patients received fully expired stents, while nine others were implanted with stents that retained only 3% of their shelf life between July 2021 and December 2022.

The investigation, which involved inspecting stock records and patient files, also uncovered financial irregularities amounting to Rs263 million related to the purchase of expired stents and medicines.

Despite requests for clarification, the hospital administration has failed to provide a response to the Auditor General’s queries.

It is pertinent to mention here that in 2022, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report had revealed 38 patients were inserted as many as 39 expired stents at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), 2021.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had prepared a preliminary report on the use of expired stents stating that 500 stents were bought from a private company in 2019.

The acquired stents were supposed to be inserted in 2020 but they were to be inserted into the patients even after 19 months of their expiry date.

The report revealed that despite the availability of stents, the PIC kept on demanding the same from other hospitals that show the element of malice in the case as evidence, the report read.