Hospitals in our region and across the country are keeping close tabs on IV fluid supplies as politicians call on the Biden Administration to take steps to address a weather-related disruption in production.
At Regional West, interim CEO Mel McNea said “Regional West leadership has been actively monitoring and planning to conserve IV fluid while providing quality patient care, but we have a reasonable supply of IV fluids at this time. We are assessing the situation daily and anticipate we’ll be fine based on the information provided by our supplier, Baxter, regarding when they hope to be back up and running.”
The current shortage resulted from the Hurricane Helene-related closure of the Baxter International Plant in Marion, N.C. that produces approximately 60% of IV solutions and peritoneal dialysis solutions used across the nation.
Governor Jim Pillen signed onto a letter with other governors, including Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Mark Gordon of Wyoming, asking President Biden to work with the FDA to find appropriate and trusted international manufacturers, remove barriers for importation, and take necessary steps to prevent price gouging.
Meanwhile, Sen. Pete Ricketts said he has been told some Nebraska hospitals have had to cancel surgeries, and while the FDA is working to mitigate the shortage, the country should never have reached the current crisis level.
