Canceled surgery? Modesto-area hospitals affected by national shortage of IV fluids
Hospitals in the Northern San Joaquin Valley have rescheduled some surgeries and adopted conservation measures because of a national shortage of IV fluids caused by the damage of Hurricane Helene in the Southeast.
Heavy storms and flooding shut down operations at the Baxter International plant in North Carolina, a major manufacturer of the solution in IV bags often given to patients in medical emergencies and those undergoing surgery. About 60% of the national supply is made at the Baxter plant, according to NPR, which reported surgery cancellations in many states.
Baxter International said in late September that a broken levee allowed water to permeate the plant site in Marion, N.C. In addition, bridges in the area were damaged.
The state Department of Public Health warned hospitals in California last month that significant impacts were anticipated due to the plant shutdown in North Carolina.
Sacramento-based Sutter Health, which operates Memorial Medical Center in Modesto and hospitals in Tracy and Los Banos, said Friday it is implementing conservation measures to make sure IV fluids are available for patients in urgent and emergency situations. Some nonurgent medical procedures have been rescheduled at Sutter facilities, the statement said.
“We are planning for a prolonged shortage and are making daily decisions to optimize our current supplies and increase deliveries,” Sutter said. “Our dedicated teams are working tirelessly to ensure our patients receive safe, high quality care they need.”
In a statement, Kaiser Permanente said its Central Valley medical facilities use products made by the North Carolina plant but are not experiencing impacts to care at this time. “We are actively monitoring our inventories of these products and working to ensure that we can manage care delivery should there be a long-term impact from this closure,” Kaiser said.
The CDPH advised hospitals to assess their supply of IV fluid and projected needs for surgeries and other normal operations. The state recommended that facilities prioritize the use of IV fluids and identify which patients “are in most urgent need of IV solution.”
Health officials have been working to identify supplies under mutual aid arrangements and inviting requests from hospitals in immediate need of IV solution.
Baxter said in a Oct. 9 statement it was trying to minimize disruption of patient care while working to restore manufacturing at the North Carolina plant. The company was placing limits on orders for IV fluids based on medical necessity and projected inventory.
Baxter said it was boosting manufacturing of IV solution at other sites and increasing allocation levels.
In the latest update Thursday, the company said the North Carolina plant had restored a high-production manufacturing line for IV solution and trucks were moving finished product to customers over a temporary bridge. Baxter plans to resume additional manufacturing at the plant in phases by year’s end.
The Associate Press reported the shortage of IV fluids may foul up surgery schedules for several more weeks.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 4:33 PM.
