Pennsylvania hospitals managing nationwide IV shortage
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Hospitals all over Pennsylvania, including in the Pittsburgh area, are taking steps to make sure their patients don't feel the impacts of the nationwide IV shortage.
Hospitals use IV fluids to keep patients hydrated and deliver medicines, but now they are stretching their supplies after Mother Nature halted production.
"It's certainly something that's affecting hospitals across Pennsylvania and, quite frankly, across the United States," said Christopher Chamberlain, vice president of emergency management of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
Baxter International, which supplies 60 percent of the country's IV fluids and dialysis solutions closed its facility in North Carolina after it was damaged by Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks ago.
Baxter announced this week that it's resuming partial shipments of its products.
B. Braun, the second-largest IV manufacturer, ramped up production at its plant in Daytona Beach, Florida, to help with the supply disruption, but it had to shut down ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall on Wednesday. The company said it expects to resume manufacturing and shipping on Friday.
Some hospitals are changing the way they hydrate patients, including giving patients a bottle of Gatorade as a substitute.
Hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania are trying their best to make it through this shortage.
"We, along with numerous hospitals in our region and across the nation, use a national supplier from North Carolina that was impacted by Hurricane Helene. In light of this, we are implementing prudent conservation measures of IVF to ensure uninterrupted care at all five of our facilities," said Tom Chakurda, chief marketing officer of Independence Health System.
UPMC sent this statement to KDKA-TV: "UPMC has robust supply chain relationships and detailed mitigation plans systemwide. Patient care has not been disrupted."
Allegheny Health Network told KDKA-TV it is actively monitoring and addressing supply-chain disruptions caused by Hurricane Helene.
AHN went on to say, "We are taking proactive steps to protect AHN from the effects of any shortages that might occur, particularly when it comes to pharmacy products. The hurricane is causing some disruption in the supply of certain intravenous fluids and dialysis solutions. We are taking various steps to closely manage the utilization of these and other products across our facilities until the supply chain issues are resolved, while also working with additional suppliers who have not been impacted by the hurricane to secure extra inventory where we can."
The CEO of the American Hospital Association said the Biden administration needs to take action and declare a national emergency to ease supply limits.