United States – An IV factory on the Florida coast was producing IVs again when it had to threaten to stop as Hurricane Milton hit the factory.
The company has a manufacturing and distribution hub in Daytona Beach, but Hurricane Milton did not affect it greatly, stated the spokesperson, Alli Longenhagen, as reported by The Hills.
Preparations Before the Storm
Prior to the storm’s arrival, through ASCPR, it was able to transport more than 60 truckloads and over 1.5 million IV solutions to the northern parts of Florida.
“We understand from discussions with employees that there have been no reported injuries, but many are still without power,” Longenhagen said. “We are especially thankful to the employees who remained at the site to provide updates throughout the storm.”
Ongoing National IV Shortage
Hospitals across the country were already affected by an IV shortage when Helene hit North Carolina and damaged a Baxter International plant. The closed North Carolina production site produces 60% of the country’s IV solutions. Manufacturing from that center is anticipated to resume within the next two weeks.
Nancy Foster, the vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA), has previously informed The Hill that Hospitals across the nation that depend on Baxter have been informed that they should prepare for only 40 percent of their standard delivery of IV solution.
“And that’s all that will be available to them until the situation begins to improve,” she said.
FDA Steps In
In accordance with the hurricane-induced shortage, on Wednesday, the FDA approved the importation of some IV fluids from Baxter plants in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and China, as reported by The Hills.
Healthcare Providers Feel the Pressure
As per the survey recently conducted by the group purchasing organization Premier Inc., greater than 86% of all the health care providers across the nation are feeling the pinch of the Helene-related IV fluids shortage. The same survey also revealed that disruptive trends of elective procedures’ cancellation were ascending; in the next month, more providers will reach this goal if the current condition persists and worsens further. Only 54 percent of the surveyed providers said they had 10 days or less IV fluids in stock.