Mass General Brigham delays some surgeries due to IV shortage
“While we strive to minimize any impact on patients, these measures will ensure we are able to care for those in immediate need,” the email said.
The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday declared a national shortage of three common IV drugs, Dextrose 70% IV Solution, Lactated Ringers IV Solution, and Peritoneal Dialysis Solution, the agency said in a news release.
The shortage results from Hurricane Helene damaging a production facility of Baxter International Inc. in North Carolina last month. Baxter is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of IVs. Hurricane Milton, which left a trail of destruction across Florida this week, prompted officials to move quickly to prevent any further disruption to the nation’s IV supply.
B. Braun Medical said it moved its inventory of IV bags to a secure facility away from its plant in Daytona Beach, which it closed ahead of the storm. The company resumed manufacturing and shipping operations Friday morning, having escaped damage from the storm.
Mass General Brigham first warned of the shortage in an internal email to employees that a “serious and immediate IV fluid shortage” was underway and asked staff to try to conserve the fluids.
“We must immediately act to conserve fluids,” the internal email said. “A Mass General Brigham incident Management Team is monitoring this very dynamic situation and will respond with appropriate measures as this unfolds.”
Outside Mass General’s parking garage Friday evening, Alison Perez sat with her dog. She said she hadn’t heard about the IV fluids shortage, but noted hurricanes and other natural disasters seem to be “testing” society.
Under circumstances like this, “We all have to band together,” said Perez, 24, of Somerville. “Where should our resources go?”
Baxter, which manufactures 60 percent of the country’s IV solutions and produces 1.5 million bags per day, alerted hospitals across the country that its North Cove manufacturing plant in Marion, N.C., was temporarily closed because of damages incurred during the hurricane.
Flood waters entered the facility and the bridges to and from that transport products were damaged.
In a letter to hospitals nationwide, Baxter said many of its products would only be allocated at 40 percent of normal levels.
In an update this week, Baxter said it hoped to restart production by 90 to 100 percent by the end of the year.
“Baxter is advancing multiple paths to help ensure we are appropriately managing inventory and minimizing disruption to patient care as we work to fully restore our North Cove manufacturing operations,” Baxter’s update said. “This includes implementing allocations, which limit what a customer can order based on historical purchases and medical necessity as well as available and projected inventory. Allocations help limit stockpiling and increase the likelihood of equitable access to available products.”
Other Boston hospitals have taken steps to preserve their IV supply.
Beth Israel Lahey said in a statement to the Globe, “We continue to monitor the impacts of the national shortage of IV solutions. At this time, BILH is not canceling or postponing any elective surgeries due to this issue.”
Tufts Medicine officials told WCVB-Ch. 5 that they have implemented conservation measures and are actively seeking alternative sources.
“Our supply chain and pharmacy teams are working diligently to identify and secure alternative sources of sterile solutions,” Tufts said in a statement to the station.
A spokesperson for Tufts could not immediately be reached for comment by the Globe Friday night.
The American Hospital Association, in a “special bulletin” to its members nationwide, said it is “coordinating with Baxter and is proactively engaging with federal agencies with regard to the disruption and to convey our concerns about the impact on patient care.”
The bulletin noted that the Food and Drug Administration said it is working with Baxter and other federal agencies to “confirm how much product was recently released for distribution, or may be available at wholesalers, and provide any resources and assistance we can during this time.”
The FDA also said it is working with Baxter’s additional facilities to increase supply and reduce the risk of new shortages until Baxter can resume manufacturing the impacted products.
Globe Correspondent Kiera McDonald contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
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