Michigan hospitals are taking steps to conserve IV fluids amid a national shortage that’s led to canceled surgeries and postponed medical procedures in other states.
Flooding from Hurricane Helene temporarily closed a North Carolina manufacturing plant that supplies most of the nation’s IV solutions, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
Baxter International Inc.’s North Cove plant “produces 1.5 million bags of IV solution per day and supplies 60% of the nation’s IV solutions, including critical products like saline, sterile water and peritoneal dialysis solutions,” according to a recent MHA statement.
The Biden administration has reportedly invoked wartime powers to speed the factory’s rebuilding, according to CBS News, and a recent survey found 86% of U.S. health care providers are experiencing IV fluid shortages as a result of the storm.
Several of Michigan’s largest health systems say they haven’t had to delay procedures so far, but are experiencing shortages.
“University of Michigan Health has been dealing with a supply shortage of large volume IV fluids because of the Baxter International situation,” said Mary Masson, a spokesperson for Michigan Medicine, in an email Thursday.
“Baxter is not our only supplier, but to address shortages, we have instituted multiple conservation measures to optimize our current supply, such as not using infusion bags for non-clinical purposes and avoiding initiating fluids on patients for whom there is another clinically appropriate option. We have not delayed any procedures at this point. Patient safety is our top priority, and we have a dedicated team working on these measures to ensure our high quality care is not affected by this shortage.”
Henry Ford Health (which now includes 13 acute care hospitals, including the former Ascension hospitals in southeast Michigan and the Greater Flint area) is taking steps to “optimize” supplies, including “implementing our oral hydration guidelines and fluid management protocols in applicable patient settings,” according to a spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Corewell Health says its 21 hospitals in southeast and western Michigan are “closely monitoring the situation. We are confident in our ability to meet patient needs at this time,” according to an emailed statement. “We are in regular communication with Baxter and are encouraging our teams to conserve IV fluids when possible.”
And while Munson Healthcare in northern Michigan says that it, too, has been affected by the shortage because "other manufacturers cannot immediately replace that production," it "has not had to postpone any procedures or surgeries due to this inventory disruption."
McLaren Health Care, which is headquartered in Grand Blanc and operates 13 hospitals, “is not a client of Baxter’s, though we are closely monitoring the supply chain,” a spokesperson said.
The Michigan Health and Hospital Association isn’t collecting data about delayed or rescheduled procedures due to the shortage, “but that is of course an area of potential concern that we’re monitoring closely,” an MHA spokesperson said Thursday.
“While we haven’t learned of any specific cases where procedures have been canceled or rationed due to the shortage, we do know that the impact of the shortage will vary across facility based on specific supply operations, needs, etc."
