IV shortages plaguing the country
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The effects of Hurricane Helene are now manifesting into a nationwide emergency due to the shortage of intravenous (IV).
Hurricane Helene hit the southeast region of the United States in late September, hitting the Carolinas especially hard. The storm hit land as a category four and immediately started destroying the land. Even now, thousands are without power, and the death toll is at 95, with many still missing. Unfortunately, the effects of Helene are now manifesting into a nationwide emergency.
The shortage of intravenous (IV) supplies has become a crisis. Yet, the issue started long before Hurricane Helene struck land. Prior to the hurricane hitting the Carolinas, there were still concerns over shortages in the US.
IV fluid is a saline solution, sodium chloride and water mixture, used in hospitals to provide hydration to many patients, and can also be diluted to clean open wounds. Dextrose, a type of sugar, has been in shortage since 2022 and is typically used for patients with low blood sugar.
IVs are necessary for surgery and the overall health of patients, as they make distributing hydration and medicine much faster. Staff working in emergency centers must keep a good supply of IVs since they are essential in treating ICU patients.
Helene destroyed the North Carolina Baxter International plant, a manufacturing facility that supplies IV fluids, which, in turn, led to several more shortages in IVs. The damage to the plant was caused by severe flooding from the storm. It is expected that it will take months for Baxter to fully recover. As a result, hospitals are trying everything they can to conserve their current supply of the fluid.
The main reason that the country is experiencing such severe shortages of IVs is because of the lack of money they bring in to those who manufacture them. NBC News states, “The high barrier to entry—including the time and cost required to meet the regulatory requirements for setting up a manufacturing facility — along with the pressure to keep prices low, means drugmakers aren’t really motivated to jump into the market.”
The prices of IVs are pressured to be kept low, but making the solutions costs time and space. NBC News said, “In the U.S., the IV fluid market is sustained primarily by four manufacturers: Baxter International, which makes about 60 [percent] of the country’s IV liquids…;” now that Baxter has been down, the shortages have only increased.
As a consequence of the shortages, the Defense Production Act was enacted, a wartime power. This essentially means that Baxter has priority in materials. Hospitals are currently only receiving about 40 percent of their usual supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been forced to add three more IV fluids to a list of them that are not meeting national demand. The list now contains about nine total fluids. Many facilities are trying to utilize hydration tablets and hydration and electrolyte-filled drinks to conserve their supply. The FDA is also trying to find solutions for hospitals to temporarily create their own viable solutions.
As of now, there is no set date or time frame within which Baxter International is expected to start producing the same number of IVs as it did before the hurricane.