Nation’s Hospitals Put on IV Diet as Hurricane Helene Takes a Salty Toll

Just when you thought Mother Nature had exhausted her repertoire of bad jokes, she rolls out Hurricane Helene like a comedic punchline, Target=”_blank”>slamming the door on a vital intravenous fluid factory in North Carolina. Cue the panicked hospital staff nationwide, who suddenly find themselves juggling patient hydration like it’s some bizarre circus act.

Believe it or not, our beloved saline solution—a humble mix of sodium chloride and good old-fashioned H2O—has been playing hide-and-seek in the U.S. since 2018, Target=”_blank”>according to the Food and Drug Administration’s drug shortage database. And let’s not forget sterile water, the unsung hero of mixing medications and cleaning wounds, which has similarly ambled into the shadows since 2021, leaving doctors wondering if they’ll be pouring vodka in for hydration instead.

Meanwhile, dextrose, the sweet sugar solution that’s supposed to perk up patients too weak to eat, has also been making itself scarce Target=”_blank”>since early 2022. Apparently, sugary goodness is not in high demand these days—unless you count candy bars at 3 a.m.

With Hurricane Helene waltzing into town and wreaking havoc on the Baxter International plant, we now face a shortage of everything from dextrose solutions to that fancy electrolyte mix known as lactated Ringer’s—because we all need our fluids mixed in a way that sounds like a spa treatment for our insides. Target=”_blank”>Thanks for that, Mother Nature!

So, why, you ask, are these life-sustaining liquids proving to be as elusive as a mirage on a hot summer day? It’s the classic tale of money and motivation, where IV fluids might save lives but can’t hardly help manufacturers balance their budgets, according to Erin Fox, a sassy pharmacy director at the University of Utah Health.

“These are life-saving products, but at the same time, they’re treated like yesterday’s stale bread,” Fox quips. Alas, the high costs and convoluted regulations for setting up a manufacturing facility—which apparently requires a Hogwarts-level education in bureaucratic wizardry—means we’re stuck with a leaky supply, somewhat like our confidence in the healthcare system.

Did I mention the logistics? Apparently, a single bag of saline weighs more than your average loaf of bread. “We’re not just talking a shelf full of jars of pickles here; we need space that can also handle some serious weight lifting,” Fox states. Who knew IV fluids could double as dumbbells?

But really, let’s not kid ourselves. Creating sterile water is no walk in the park. “It’s just salt and water! What could go wrong?” you might scoff. Well, as it turns out, making this stuff safe for human veins requires more checks than a nervous prom date, thanks to the nasty endotoxins—those uninvited party crashers that cause immune system chaos.

Welcome to the VIP club of U.S. IV fluid manufacturers, where four companies reign supreme: Baxter, B. Braun Medical, ICU Medical, and Fresenius Kabi. Basically, when one of these giants flops, the entire healthcare sector sinks faster than a ship with a hole in it.

“Any little hiccup can throw this whole theatrical production into chaos,” crunches Fox, who reports her hospital has been living IVA—Intravenous Fluid Anonymous—since the end of September. “Unless we want to pay these companies to sit on their hands and be our safety net—totally not financially savvy—we’re left high and dry.”

The Government to the Rescue… Sort Of

Dr. Chris DeRienzo, a neonatologist and chief physician executive at the American Hospital Association, has seen this movie before. Remember Hurricane Maria? It claimed three IV fluid manufacturing plants in Puerto Rico—a Baxter exclusive—back in 2017. “We’re about to leave that bad review on Yelp,” says DeRienzo, shaking his head. “At least we’ve got the nostalgia of IV fluid shortages to keep us warm.”

In a twist worthy of Oscar acceptance speeches, the federal government has invoked the Defense Production Act, which is basically like telling Baxter: “Congratulations! You’ve won a ticket to the fluid production express!” They’ll get the materials they need, whether there’s a nationwide drought or just a picky materials supplier unwilling to play nice. It’s like being the only kid with snacks at the lunch table.

So far, this government intervention has led to a 50% increase in available IV fluid products—an astounding achievement considering they were running on fumes previously. But experts like Ganio caution that it’s a band-aid on an elephant-sized problem. “This doesn’t crack the code on chronic shortages,” he warns, hinting we might need some serious incentives, like guaranteeing a profit for companies. Because let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want a financial pat on the back for keeping people alive?

“The tale of IV fluids is just one sobering example of how the supply chain can be a real reality check,” Ganio concludes, raising a skeptical eyebrow at our so-called healthcare security. So cheers to us and our saline, until the next storm rolls in!