An IV fluid maker in Florida temporarily closed down Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Milton.
A shortage of critical IV fluids is impacting hospitals across the U.S., forcing some to delay elective surgeries and other nonemergency procedures. The supply disruption stems from the closure of key facilities following Hurricane Helene’s destructive flooding and Hurricane Milton’s impending landfall. Baxter International, the largest manufacturer of IV fluids in the U.S., had to shut down its North Carolina facility due to the flooding, leading to a temporary halt in production and reducing the shipment of fluids to hospitals nationwide.
The situation has caused significant concern within the healthcare sector, particularly in regions reliant on consistent IV fluid supplies for surgeries and patient care. The closure of Baxter’s plant, which is responsible for a large portion of the country’s IV fluid production, has forced hospitals to safeguard their stock and prioritize emergency cases. As a result, elective surgeries, which require substantial amounts of IV fluids, are being postponed in some facilities to ensure that the most critical cases are prioritized.
Compounding the issue, B. Braun Medical, the second-largest IV fluid producer, announced on Tuesday that it would close two of its plants in Daytona Beach, Florida, in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s landfall. This further exacerbates the shortage, particularly as the storm threatens additional disruptions to supply chains in the region. The temporary closures of both Baxter and B. Braun have left hospitals scrambling for alternatives to manage patient care.
In Minnesota, where over 140 hospitals are represented by the Minnesota Hospital Association, daily calls have been held to discuss the ongoing IV fluid shortage. Healthcare providers in the state have expressed growing concerns about the timeline for when Baxter’s North Carolina facility will resume operations and how long they will be able to rely on their current fluid stocks. The state’s hospitals are particularly anxious, as the lack of IV fluids could compromise their ability to provide safe care for patients requiring surgery or critical treatments.
The shutdowns have raised questions about the resilience of the healthcare supply chain, especially for essential medical products like IV fluids, which are crucial for a wide range of medical treatments. Hospitals are now looking to stockpile fluids from other suppliers, but the process has been complicated by the widespread effects of the storms on production and distribution.
For now, hospitals and healthcare providers across the U.S. are being forced to make difficult decisions about which procedures can be delayed and which must go ahead. The shortages of IV fluids have highlighted the fragile nature of medical supply chains, particularly in the face of natural disasters, and the need for greater preparedness to ensure that critical healthcare supplies are always available.
The situation is ongoing, and healthcare providers are bracing for additional challenges as Hurricane Milton makes its way toward the Gulf Coast, further disrupting production and delivery systems.
