Hospitals are looking to stock up on IV fluids amid a nationwide shortage

MINNESOTA, USA – Some Minnesota health care providers began contacting patients Monday, informing them that elective and non-emergency surgeries have been canceled or postponed.

The reason? Storm damage from Hurricane Helene took our state’s IV water supply offline last week.

Baxter International, which produces 60% of the IV fluids used in the US healthcare system, was damaged at its manufacturing facility in North Cove, North Carolina and the roads connecting the supply lines have been damaged after the storm.

Late last week, Baxter released a statement saying, “We are working very quickly, but at this time we do not have a timeline for when the work will resume.”

In response, both M Health Fairview and Hennepin Healthcare have begun reducing unnecessary surgeries to conserve this vital fluid, which is used to help keep patients hydrated during surgeries and to mix medications — such as antibiotics — that are given intravenously.

On Monday, the Minnesota Hospital Association convened more than 300 hospital leaders from across the state to discuss ways to improve the current situation.

“It’s going to be a lot of work and a little bit of pain to get through this,” said Mike Waldt, System Director of Pharmacy for North Memorial Health.

So far, Waldt says North Memorial has not had to cancel any surgeries.

“We had some stuff, which made us paint a little bit,” Waldt said. “But that protection doesn’t last long.”

He said North Memorial and many others are still taking several other measures to conserve water.

Mike Waldt: “Take antibiotics, for example, we have moved some of them to IV push instead of IV infusion. So instead of using that bag, we just add that in a syringe that can be slowly given to the patient. .”

Kent Erdahl: “If you’re kicking instead of in an IV bag, is it that much of a problem?”

Wald: “Absolutely. Instead of the nurse being able to set up the pump, now she’s going to have to stand there for quite some time.”

In an effort to save time and IV fluids elsewhere, Waldt said he’s trying to be careful by minimizing them in outpatient settings.

“We’re trying to get patients to be able to hydrate before they go into other elective procedures so we can continue to do that and conserve that fluid,” Waldt said.

Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association sent a letter to President Biden on Monday, urging the president to take action to end the crisis. They are asking the President to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to:

• Announce the reduction of IV control procedures, which will allow the use of other variables that are not available to health care providers.
• Provide flexibility to allow hospitals and health systems to stock sterile IV supplies in their pharmacies and eliminate the 1-mile rule so that hospitals and health systems can distribute these supplies among their facilities without a patient order.
• Discover international manufacturers who can produce sterile IV solutions and their appropriate containers.
• Extend the shelf life of all sterile IV and peritoneal dialysis systems that have expired or are about to expire.
• Declare a national emergency under the National Emergency Act and/or the Stafford Act and request that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra declare a national emergency to create circumstances that would allow the waiver of Medicare/Medicaid laws and regulations.
• Request the Defense Production Act at:
• They require qualified manufacturers to prioritize and accept contracts for the materials and services necessary to manufacture their dry IV systems and containers.
• Encourage relevant manufacturers to expand production and supply of key components and materials needed to develop IV solutions and their containers.

The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) said it is also working with state and local elected leaders to achieve the same goals.

“That other manufacturing plants can come online, that Baxter can renovate its products and that we can get IVs back into our hospitals,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, President and CEO of MHA. “Our main message to our patients is, please be patient with your hospital care teams and talk to your providers so they can monitor your care plan and make the right decisions based on your care.”

B. Braun, which currently produces about a quarter of the IV fluids in the US, is currently trying to ramp up production, but has a facility in Daytona Beach, Florida that could be in the path of Hurricane Milton.

As of now, a spokesperson for B. Braun said the company is monitoring the storm and taking steps to protect its employees and IV equipment.

Here is the full statement from M Health Fairview:

Due to the damage caused to Baxter’s North Cove, North Carolina manufacturing facility from Hurricane Helene, our hospitals are running low on intravenous (IV) fluids.

In response to these shortfalls, we are taking steps to improve the quality of our services and prioritize the needs of patients. This includes changing inventory management, centralizing facilities, and changing the way we choose to store IV fluids. We are contacting patients who may be affected by the surgical procedure changes directly.

Rescheduling and postponing surgeries are decisions we don’t take lightly, and we understand how they affect our patients. We are working with the Minnesota Hospital Association, state and federal officials, supply chain leaders and our medical teams to evaluate additional support measures and ensure that safety and health care remain intact as we navigate this temporary disruption.

We encourage patients to stay in touch with their health care providers and be patient as we work through these complications. Minnesota hospitals are doing everything possible to continue care, but delays and changes to some medications may be necessary until the situation stabilizes.