CHA News

CHA Responds to Nationwide IV Fluid Shortage

What’s happening: On Oct. 3, CHA informed members of an IV fluid shortage due to the temporary closure of Baxter International’s North Carolina plant, which supplies 60% of the country’s IV solutions. The facility was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Helene.   

What else to know: The update from CHA includes guidance for hospitals to mitigate the impact of the IV shortage.  

The widespread impacts of the hurricane that hit the southeast a few days ago are creating challenges for hospitals and other health care providers nationally, as they grapple with serious shortages of IV fluids essential to patient care. Baxter International’s manufacturing plant in Marion, N.C., has been hit hard and is temporarily closed. The plant manufactures 60% of the nation’s supply of IV solutions and produces 1.5 million bags per day. 

CHA is in close communication with the American Hospital Association (AHA), which is engaging with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide hospitals and systems with updated information as it becomes available. The FDA has announced it is working actively 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” as soon as possible. 

Additionally, the FDA is working with Baxter’s other manufacturing facilities “to increase supply and reduce the risk of new shortages” until the company can resume manufacturing operations. Baxter has said it will leverage its global manufacturing network to help mitigate potential supply impacts. More information from Baxter on allocations is available

The California Department of Public Health released an All Facilities Letter (AFL) on the shortfall, which includes general recommendations (e.g. review emergency preparedness plans) and guidance from Baxter’s and national associations.

The main request of facilities in the AFL is to respond to survey requests from the Regional Disaster Medical Health Specialists about supply levels.

Next Steps for California Hospitals 
California hospitals are advised: 

  • Take stock of your current inventories and secure needed supplies through existing contracts with other facilities or suppliers, if possible. 
  • If needed supplies cannot be procured through this process, submit resource requests to your MHOAC. It is crucial that hospitals make requests through the MHOAC. This process provides visibility to state officials about the needs of hospitals and other providers throughout the state. 
  • If the MHOAC is unable to locally provide needed resources, requests will be escalated to the Regional Disaster Medical Health Specialist (RDMHS). If the RDMHS is unable to fulfill the request, it will be elevated to state officials. 
  • Emergency management experts are calling for all health care providers to implement conservation strategies, such as using the smallest possible volume of IV fluids for the required indication, regularly reviewing patients receiving IV infusions, and switching to alternative routes of administration. While implementing conservation efforts, hospitals must maintain a focus on patient safety. 

CHA’s Efforts 
In addition to working closely with AHA, CHA is in ongoing communication with state health and emergency response officials. It is our understanding that a state alert may be issued to health care providers later today. Once we have more details, we will share them with you.  

Further Questions 
Review the report from the Emergency Care Research Institute designed to help health care providers navigate shortages caused by the Baxter facility shutdown. The report identifies alternatives from other manufacturers to the IV and irrigation solutions affected by the plant closure.