Hospitals across US reporting IV shortages after Hurricane Helene led to plant shutdown in NC

Hospitals in the United States are cancelling and postponing elective surgeries amid a nationwide shortage of IV fluid thanks to plant closures caused by Hurricane Helene.

Virginia’s UVA Health University Medical Center told The Independent that it would postpone certain elective surgeries early this week to help conserve its supplies.

The shortage is tied to flooding at healthcare company Baxter International’s western North Carolina plant after a levee breach. The plant produces IV fluid, which is injected into a person’s veins to treat dehydration. It also makes fluids that are used by some patients on home kidney dialysis.

While some products remain at the factory, bridges to access them are mangled. The company has had to begin restricting how much customers can order. Facilities in Virginia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and other states have reported supply problems.

The shortage has already had an impact on Americans, the American Hospitals Association said in a Monday letter to President Joe Biden.

Baxter says delays to dialysis, a treatment for kidney failure, should be considered, and Massachusetts’ Mass General Brigham told The Associated Press that some patients may receive Gatorade or water to hydrate instead of starting an IV. Although, anyone who needs an IV can still get one.

Baxter provides 60% of IV products across the country, or 1.5 million bags, with the plant’s restoration expected to take weeks.

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Source: The Independent, 7 October 2024