Area hospitals conserving IV fluids amid nationwide shortage

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) - Hospitals around the country are reacting to a nationwide shortage of IV fluids, including here in the Tri-State.

This comes after Hurricane Helene damaged a factory in North Carolina which produces crucial medical supplies.

Owensboro Health Officials say the plant was a part of Baxter International, the medical supply company that supplies them.

They say they, and other local medical providers, are already feeling the effects of its loss.

When Hurricane Helene went through North Carolina, it caused a shortage of medical supplies for hospitals and medical providers across the country.

It’s left providers like Owensboro Health having to adapt.

“This, to me, is a learning opportunity,” said Owensboro Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francis DuFrayne. “How good are we at doing these things? How efficient can we become? Where can we learn to be more efficient while giving our patients the greatest care we can give them?”

They say the shortage is mainly of IV fluids, this includes things like saline and sterile water.

They say they’re still receiving 40% of their usual supply from Baxter, and they’re hoping they’ll increase it to 60% soon, which would cover the needs of any patient in the hospital.

They say they maintain a four-to-six week supply, but it can expire if unused for too long.

They say they’ve had to prioritize patients with more immediate needs.

“If it’s not urgent that you have the procedure right now, we may need to put it off for a couple weeks,” said Dr. DuFrayne.

Their chief medical officer says the shortage has affected how they do certain procedures as well.

He says they’ve replaced sterile water with the more common distilled water for procedures where they don’t need a sterile process.

They say this isn’t the first time they’ve had to adapt.

They say Ebola, HIV, and COVID each forced the hospital system to change; so they were ready for this situation too.

“Those were stressful but great learning experiences that you then apply to future things,” said Dr. DuFrayne. “So coming out of COVID and all the things we did, we were actually able to roll right into this without a problem.”

Owensboro Health Officials say they hope the shortage only continues for another three weeks, but they say it’s possible that it continues through the end of the year.

They say it comes down to how well the supply company can ramp up production at their other facilities.

In response to the shortage, Deaconess officials say they are “implementing proactive conservation efforts aligned with best clinical practices.”

Officials say they are closely monitoring the situation and working with suppliers.

“Our skilled staff and providers are trained to handle these challenges and continue to provide the highest level of patient care with no disruptions at this time,” said officials.

St. Vincent officials have also responded.

“We have had minimal impact to date. Ascension purchases most of its IV fluids from other vendors, so we have not had any decrease in supply. We are taking measures to conserve IV fluids and anticipation that the shortage could be prolonged,” said Dr. Dunniway.

Copyright 2024 WFIE. All rights reserved.