Hospital fluid shortages from the hurricane could affect surgeries for weeks

Surgery schedules across the country may be thrown out for several more weeks, while a crucial IV and sterile fluid factory remains closed due to hurricane-related damage.

People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait while health systems stock up on supplies for to emergencies

“It’s not great for patients, but it’s kind of doing the best you can with what you have,” said Erin Fox, associate director of pharmacy at University of Utah Health.

The federal government and medical providers have taken several steps to help ease the supply crisis created by Hurricane Helene, which forced Baxter International to close its North Carolina plant late last month.

But experts say supplies are still patchy and improvements will take time. Here’s a closer look at the situation.

What did Hurricane Helene do?

Baxter’s North Cove, North Carolina, location makes about 60 percent of the intravenous solutions used each day in the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association. It also makes fluids used by home dialysis patients and sterile water used to clean patients’ surgical sites during operations.

But flooding from the storm swept away nearby bridges and water entered the factory, forcing a shutdown. Baxter says there was no structural damage to the site.

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How has this affected patient care?

Sanitary systems began conserving fluids shortly after the plant shut down. Some switched patients who can drink fluids to Gatorade or water instead of giving them an IV.

Hospitals have also begun postponing planned procedures that can wait, such as some orthopedic surgeries or heart procedures, said Dr. Chris DeRienzo, executive director of the American Hospital Association.

Baxter has limited supplies of fluids it sends to distributors and healthcare systems. The impact on a patient will depend in part on how dependent a hospital or health system is on Baxter, said Nancy Foster, vice president of the hospital association.

What is being done to improve supplies?

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the temporary importation of fluids from Baxter plants into several countries.

The company has also begun to ease some of the limits it has placed on supplies.

Rival Baxter B. Braun Medical has ramped up production at its Daytona Beach, Florida site, which escaped damage from another hurricane, and at a site in California.

The FDA also issued new temporary guidance designed to make it easier for compounding pharmacies to produce certain IV drugs that are in short supply.

Will this help the IV fluid shortage?

Supply experts are optimistic that the situation will improve, but cannot say whether these moves will fill the gap left by the plant shutdown.

Fox said his health system is still dealing with uncertainty because the amount Baxter has allocated to them is not always available through its distributor.

Hospitals like to have an extra supply on their shelves so they can handle both planned and unexpected surgeries, Foster said, but “we won’t be there for a while.”

Another complication: Hospitals and surgery centers face a busy time of year. Cold and flu season fills hospital beds. In addition, patients also tend to schedule more procedures toward the end of the year before their deductibles renew in January, exposing them to thousands of dollars in costs.

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When will the Baxter factory reopen?

Power and water are back on at the North Carolina plant. Employees have deep cleaned the production rooms and are testing and repairing equipment.

Baxter says it wants to restart production in phases by the end of the year and also hopes to reduce the limits it has placed on some customer orders by then.

But the company has no timetable for production to return to pre-hurricane levels.