Healthcare providers across the United States are grappling with a critical shortage of medical products as Hurricanes Helene and Milton have severely disrupted the supply chain for intravenous (IV) fluids.
Mass General Brigham, the nation's largest hospital-based research enterprise, announced on Friday that it would postpone non-emergent elective procedures from Sunday through at least Wednesday. The hospital stated that uncertainties caused by the nationwide shortage made it unclear when the supply of IV fluids would improve.
According to a survey released on Thursday by Premier Inc., a healthcare logistics company, more than 86 percent of healthcare providers nationwide are experiencing shortages of IV fluids. The situation escalated after Hurricane Helene damaged a Baxter IV plant in North Carolina late last month, taking 60 percent of the country's IV solution supply offline for the foreseeable future.
To conserve IV fluid usage, hospitals are encouraging oral hydration when possible, offering patients alternatives like Gatorade or Pedialyte to stay hydrated. Mass General Brigham is preparing IV fluid bags only when healthcare teams are certain they will be needed.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra noted in a letter dated October 9 to healthcare leaders that the supply may \"continue to be constrained\" in the coming weeks, and Hurricane Milton may further disrupt \"an already fragile market.\"
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Baxter are working to identify alternative IV, dialysis, and nutrition products. The FDA is also expediting reviews of manufacturers' requests to extend the shelf life of existing products.
Smaller medical facilities are particularly hard-hit. The Premier survey indicated that facilities with 25 or fewer beds are more likely to have none of their IV orders filled. There is also acute concern for dialysis patients who rely on IV treatments at home.
The American Hospital Association has urged the Biden administration to take more aggressive action, including invoking the Defense Production Act to prioritize IV solution manufacturing and removing barriers to importing products from foreign suppliers.
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U.S. hospitals struggle as storms cut medical products supply chain
cgtn.com
