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St. Paul, MN – Some hospitals across the state are canceling or postponing elective and non-emergency surgeries due to storm damage from Hurricane Helene that took our nation’s largest producer of IV fluids offline last week.
Rahul Koranne with the Minnesota Hospital Association says they are working closely with healthcare facilities across the state to make sure they have sufficient IV fluids, “They are putting in conservation measures. So, we use only the needed IV fluids for our patients. If the patient does not need IV fluids and can take them by mouth, they are switching them to taking by mouth”
Baxter International, which produces 60% of the IV fluids used across US healthcare systems, sustained damage to its manufacturing facility in North Cove, North Carolina. Following the storm, roads connecting the supply chain have also been in disrepair.