ASCs and hospitals are facing obstacles in securing IV fluids after flooding produced by Hurricane Helene damaged a Baxter International plant in Marion, N.C., that makes 60% of the nation's IV fluid products.
Baxter indicated that it expects supply levels to recover to 90% to 100% by the end of the year, though nationwide disruptions are likely to persist until then, according to an Oct. 9 company news release.
"Unfortunately we are all facing shortages. It is anticipated that this will continue through the end of the year," Ken Schaff, regional ASC administrator at HCA Surgery Ventures, told Becker's. "We are just hopeful things turn around sooner, as the last quarter is always our shipping season. As most patients have met deductibles, the last quarter of the year tends to be our busiest time; especially for orthopedic sports medicine cases that use lots of irrigation."
Here are 13 hospitals who have postpone procedures in the last 10 days
1. Mass General Brigham (Boston, Mass.) began postponing elective surgeries requiring IV fluids from Oct. 13 through at least Oct. 16, with plans to reassess supply levels by Oct. 15 to determine whether further delays were needed, according to ABC affiliate WCVB.
2. Boone Health (Columbia, Mo.) temporarily paused elective surgeries to conserve IV supplies for emergency care, the Missouri Business Alert reported Oct. 14.
3. Banner Health (Phoenix, Ariz.) began delaying elective surgeries on Oct. 14 due to IV fluid shortages, according to The Arizona Republic. Despite partial shipments and conservation measures, the health system stated the supply was insufficient to safely maintain the usual surgical volume.
4. UToledo Health (Toledo, Ohio) planned to resume most elective surgeries on Oct. 14, after previously pausing them due to IV fluid shortages, according to The Toledo Blade.
5. University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, N.Y.) began pausing elective and semi-elective surgeries that require IV fluids, effective Oct. 16. Surgical cases were reviewed daily to assess urgency and fluid needs, with procedures requiring minimal IV fluid evaluated case-by-case.
6. Albany Med Health System (Albany, N.Y.) announced on Oct. 17 that it was delaying some elective and nonessential procedures to ensure enough supplies for life-saving surgeries and procedures.
7. UNC Health (Chapel Hill, N.C.) began postponing or rescheduling some nonemergent surgeries at most of its hospitals in the week prior to Oct. 17, noting that many hospitals across North Carolina and nationwide were taking similar steps, the system told Becker’s on Oct. 17.
8. VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System started postponing elective surgeries as needed to conserve IV supplies on a day-by-day basis, according to a spokesperson's statement to NBC affiliate WSMV Oct. 17.
9. Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, Ore.) announced on Oct. 18 that it rescheduled about 25% of surgical cases, including joint, hernia repair, and bariatric surgeries, due to the IV fluid shortage, according to NBC affiliate KGW8.
10. Providence (Renton, Wash.) reported on Oct. 18 that it was rescheduling some procedures and surgeries in its Oregon hospitals due to the IV fluid shortage, KGW8 reported Oct. 18.
11. UCHealth (Denver, Colo.) postponed some nonemergent procedures that required large amounts of IV fluids, ABC affiliate KMGH-TV reported Oct. 19.
12. Schneck Medical Center (Seymour, Ind.) proactively rescheduled some nonemergency surgeries on Oct. 21 and is working to confirm new dates for affected patients as soon as possible.
13. University of Vermont Health Network (Burlington, Vt.) began rescheduling certain elective surgeries slated for Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 that use large amounts of IV and sterile irrigation fluids. Teams will review IV supply levels every Monday to determine whether to proceed or delay the following week’s surgeries, the system said in an Oct. 23 press release.