Louisville-area hospitals monitoring nationwide IV fluid shortage following hurricanes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A nationwide IV fluid shortage has led some hospitals to limit elective procedures in the wake of hurricanes Helen and Milton.

Several local health care providers said Tuesday they are keeping a close eye on the situation.

The two largest IV fluid manufacturers in the U.S. — B. Braun Medical and Baxter International — have temporarily closed facilities in Florida and North Carolina, leading to the supply crunch.

Baxter's major manufacturing plant in North Carolina was crippled by floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene. However, B. Braun Medical's manufacturing site and distribution center in Daytona Beach were not seriously impacted.

UofL Health said Tuesday they are taking precautionary conservation measures, no procedures have been canceled.

Baptist Health is taking proactive measures to conserve IV fluid, which they said are similar to steps taken after Hurricane Maria, as they evaluate and monitor the situation and seek alternative suppliers.

"We have not canceled any cases. Really, what we're doing right now is just a lot of proactive planning and getting in front of this to make sure that we can provide the care that we promise for our community," Lance Ballard, with Baptist Health, told WDRB on Wednesday.

Norton Healthcare said it's shifting supplies to manage its needs.

"While a few of our hospitals utilize the Baxter product, we have been able to manage needs with conservation efforts as well as supply from another vendor," a spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. "One of the benefits to the Norton Healthcare system is our ability to shift supplies as necessary. Our supply team has been tracking this situation and is watching it closely."

President Joe Biden's administration has also invoked the wartime powers of the Defense Production Act to help with the shortage. That will give manufacturers priority access to the materials they need to clean, rebuild and restart production.

Prior to Hurricane Milton making landfall, federal officials were working to move IV bags out of the storm's path following disruptions caused by flooding at a large facility in North Carolina.

B. Braun Medical, with help from the federal government, had moved more than 60 truckloads of IV solutions inventory north of Florida before the storm.

The factory is seen as an important source of sterile intravenous, or IV, fluid supplies that had grown tight after Hurricane Helene hit Florida and several other states late last month. That storm forced Baxter International to shut down a North Carolina factory that makes about 60% of the country’s IV fluid supply.

That plant also makes fluids used by patients on home kidney dialysis.

Baxter started limiting customer orders after that storm to stretch supplies. Health systems, in turn, also started to conserve IV fluids and delay some non-emergency surgeries.

The company said that it was increasing production at other locations and easing some limits it had placed on customer orders. Leaders also said in a statement posted on the company's website that it was working with the federal government to temporarily import products.

Baxter aims to restart production at its North Carolina plant in phases by the end of the year and possibly end limits for certain IV solutions by then too. In the meantime, the company said its limits would help curb stockpiling and increase equitable access.

B. Braun has said its Daytona Beach site was a key part of its plan to address the shutdown of Baxter’s North Carolina location. B. Braun also said it also was increasing production at a factory in Irvine, California.

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