Healthcare experts in Maryland are worried about the lack of IV fluid in the southeast due to Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.
Due to heavy flooding in the area, Baxter International, the top provider of IV fluids to hospitals, announced that its North Carolina facility will be shuttered for the foreseeable future. 60% of the IV fluid bags in the nation are supplied by Baxter International.
“Baxter’s North Cove facility was affected by flooding and is currently closed for production as the company assesses the extent of the impact,” the company stated on its website.
To find a solution, the Maryland Hospital Association said it is collaborating with the state’s health agency.
Meanwhile, MHA notes that “hospitals are conserving IV and other solutions that are in short supply” and advises patients to think about urgent care centers or other non-emergency medical choices.
President Joe Biden is under pressure from the American Hospital Association to issue a national emergency proclamation and lift supply constraints.
Dr. Jonathan Stallkamp of Main Line Health in Philadelphia stated that patients are being negatively impacted by significant shortages, and that things could become worse as Hurricane Milton moves closer to Florida.
“It means we have to change the way we do business,” Stallkamp stated. “We have to change how we hydrate patients, now encourage a bottle of Gatorade.”
Hospitals in Maryland look for answers
According to LifeBridge Health, they are taking precautions and searching for other suppliers and vendors for IV fluid when necessary.
“LifeBridge Health will continue to meet regularly to plan for adequate coverage to meet the needs of our health systems, including looking to other sources and vendors for IV fluid, as needed,” LifeBridge Health stated.
Long-term shortages, according to hospital associations, will cause surgeries to be postponed.
“Looking at elective procedures, elective surgeries, and maybe postponing them for now,” Cristopher Chamberlain, the Vice President for the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania stated. “Now, the challenge is those are short-term strategies.”
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How are the supplies right now?
As of Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration had not announced any new product shortages associated with goods manufactured at Baxter’s facility.
Experts, however, believe that the supply chain is vulnerable. IV solution bags are bulky and expensive for hospitals to maintain significant inventories of.
Dr. Paul Biddinger of Mass General Brigham says that IV solutions don’t have a long shelf life and also need to be kept sterile.
Mike Ganio of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, who researches medicine shortages, added that smaller hospitals might only have a few days’ supply on hand.
“Maintaining a large supply of things that expire quickly is actually pretty tricky,” Biddinger stated.
Mike Ganio of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, who researches medicine shortages, added that smaller hospitals might only have a few days’ supply on hand.
To partially address the supply gap, Baxter is considering deploying additional factories located all over the world.
Additionally, the business has some completed goods in storage that were unaffected by the storm. Nevertheless, due to destroyed bridges, there is restricted access to their plant.
Other manufacturers might potentially be able to boost production, according to Ganio, although doing so is difficult.
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How much time might it take to recover?
Baxter stated on Thursday that it was still evaluating the damage and that it did not yet know when the plant will start up again.
A Pfizer-owned pharmaceutical facility in North Carolina resumed operations last year approximately ten weeks after suffering significant damage from a tornado. Moreover, that factory supplies a significant number of US hospitals.
The portion that makes medicine was not affected by the majority of the tornado damage, which was contained to a storage section.
According to Ganio, the Baxter site’s rehabilitation could take several months.
“The damage to a manufacturing facility — especially one that makes sterile products — is not a quick fix,” he stated.
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