Hurricane Helene causes dire IV fluid shortage at hospitals nationwide

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene continues to affect the U.S.

Among those feeling the aftershock, hospitals around the U.S. have reported a shortage of IV fluid.

Baxter International, an IV fluid manufacturing plant in North Cove, North Carolina, was hit particularly hard by the hurricane, causing its supply to be damaged by flooding.

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The plant produces 60% of America’s IV fluid supply at 1.5 million bags daily, the company stated.

Various hospitals have already felt the impact, according to a report by FOX Business’ Lydia Hu.

This includes Mass General Brigham in Boston, which is conserving its fluid supply, and UVA Hospital, which is postponing some elective and non-life-threatening surgeries.

Hospitals have noted that they’ve received less than half of the IV fluid they get in their shipments, Hu reported on Fox News’ “America Reports.”

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Baxter International announced in a Monday statement that several of its global plants are “scaling and ramping production to help meet U.S. needs.”

“We expect to receive product from these sources throughout the month of October,” the company said.

Brian McCormack pauses after using a wheelbarrow to clean up debris left in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 1, 2024, in Marshall, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

As of Wednesday, the company announced its goal to restore North Cove production in phases and return to 90% to 100% allocation by the end of 2024.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) sent a letter to the Biden Administration on Oct. 7 requesting a declaration of the shortage and asking to invoke the Defense Production Act.

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“The AHA strongly urges the Administration to take immediate actions to increase the supply of IV solutions for the nation’s hospitals, health systems and other health care providers that are already struggling to provide care,” AHA President Richard J. Pollack wrote in the letter.

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Dr. Chris Derienzo, the association’s chief physician officer, told Hu that using the act would allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to increase production and ensure nationwide supply.

“I’ve heard from hospitals from coast to coast,” he said. “This impact is felt by patients everywhere.”

Cars sit submerged in a flooded area at a used tire dealer after Tropical Storm Helene in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on Sept. 27, 2024.    (Ken Ruinard/USA Today Network via Reuters)

Kenneth J. Perry, MD, FACEP, emergency physician at Trident Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina, shared with Fox News Digital that IV fluids are “very important” for treating a variety of conditions in the emergency department.

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“From nausea and vomiting, dehydration, rhabdomyolisis and even infections, fluids are a cornerstone of treatment,” he said. “With the recent destruction in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, the production of intravenous fluids has been severely limited.”

To mitigate this, Perry suggested, the first step should be to ensure that everyone in a hospital setting is aware of the shortages.

IV fluids are essential for treating a variety of conditions in the emergency department, a doctor noted. (iStock)

“There has to be a team approach when we have such an acute shortage,” he said. 

“Hospitals need to utilize every possible option for fluid administration, such as small-as-possible volumes of fluids and even changing protocols that initiate fluids without specific needs.”

“Physicians need to stay vigilant to ensure that we are able to adapt and change patient care protocols as new pressures arise.”

Shortages within the health care system are not new, the physician added, as hospitals around the world experienced supply shortages during the coronavirus pandemic.

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“Health care entities had to manage to treat patients even as the supply chains were not keeping up,” Perry noted. 

“Physicians need to stay vigilant to ensure that we are able to adapt and change patient care protocols as new pressures arise.”