People who rush to the emergency department to seek treatment for two common illnesses may not get the treatment they need.
A new analysis shows that patients with dehydration or nausea are half as likely to need treatment with intravenous fluids due to a supply shortage caused by the devastating Hurricane Helene.
When the Category 4 storm hit North Carolina in September, it damaged the manufacturing facility of Baxter International, a company that supplies 60 percent of the nation’s intravenous solutions.
These life-saving fluids contain water, electrolytes and sometimes sugar, and are used to rehydrate patients, control blood pressure and keep a person stable during surgery, minor procedures or in outpatient care.
Health authorities warned that disruption to Baxter’s facilities would require nationwide rationing of IV fluids. The CDC recommended that, if possible, hospitals should use other means to rehydrate patients, such as giving Gatorade.
The shortage of fluids, and resulting rationing, interrupted dialysis appointments, surgeries and people coming to the emergency room for a host of problems, including dehydration.
The new data is only from mid-October, but researchers suggest the effects of the shortage will continue to reverberate through the healthcare system for months to come.
Although common (and usually with mild symptoms), severe dehydration and vomiting, if left untreated, can cause serious health problems.
This graph from the analysis shows the number of IV treatments given to people admitted to the emergency department for dehydration starting in January 2024 and ending weeks after Hurricane Helene
This graph from the analysis shows the number of IV treatments given to people admitted to the emergency department for nausea or vomiting starting in January 2024 and ending weeks after Hurricane Helene.
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This includes dizziness, muscle cramps, constipation, electrolyte imbalance, shock, coma, kidney failure and death.
When a person loses electrolytes due to dehydration, he or she may become fatigued, confused, and experience cramps, convulsions, and an irregular heartbeat.
Getting crucial minerals back into their bodies quickly through IV fluids can stabilize them faster than if they drank the fluids.
While using a sports drink high in electrolytes can be helpful in rehydrating, it is not as efficient as using an IV to rehydrate someone. This is because the fluid can enter the bloodstream directly, without delay through the digestive system.
Truveta Research, a company that collects and analyzes health records from 30 healthcare systems in the US, conducted the study analysisthat has yet to be peer-reviewed.
It collected data from 345,746 emergency room visits from people over 12 years of age admitted for nausea, vomiting or dehydration from January to mid-October 2024.
Before the hurricane hit, about 5.5 percent of patients who came to the emergency room with nausea or vomiting were treated with IV fluids. Ten days after the hurricane, that dropped to two percent.
Similarly, before Helene, 6.6 percent of emergency room patients with dehydration received IV fluids, compared to 2.5 percent of that same group 10 days after the hurricane.
The study authors predict that the effects of this shortage will continue to be felt for the rest of the year. They said: ‘The salt shortage is expected to continue. We expect this will lead to further reductions in the rates shown here.’
Intravenous fluids are used in operating rooms, outpatient clinics, and home care to administer medications and rehydrate patients
This week, the FDA announced that it has approved extending the shelf life of IV fluids and other Baxter fluids, making more older products available for use.
They have also supported the import of more IV fluids from other countries and increased production at other U.S. IV fluid manufacturers.
Dr. Chris DeRienzo, chief medical officer at the American Hospital Association told CNN: ‘These conservation efforts make a big difference by ensuring that we have the offer we need for patients who really have no alternative.
“Every patch we put on this patchwork to close that 60 percent gap is useful.”
At the same time, Baxter is working to get its facilities back online.
When flood waters hit North Carolina, the bridges to the factory were washed away and the factory flooded. Baxter announced that a temporary bridge has been constructed to allow for cleanup efforts said on October 31 part of production had already restarted.
Xavieras Baecerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said the resumption of operations at Baxter’s North Carolina plant, even at partial capacity, is “encouraging.”
Baecerra said: “The output of the restarted line, which will be closely monitored to help ensure the quality and safety of the product released, will supplement the product imported from abroad in accordance with temporary grants for FDA regulatory flexibility.”
Addressing this shortage from multiple angles is critical due to the frequency with which IV fluids are used in medicine.
This situation not only affects people in need of emergency treatment, but also interrupts daily procedures and operations.
Baxter’s facilities were cut off from the outside world when flooding from the hurricane swept away bridges to their property. According to latest reports, a temporary bridge has been constructed, allowing cleaning staff to enter the property
Hospitals like University of Virginia Health’s Medical Center canceled a number of surgeries in the weeks after Helene because they worried they wouldn’t be able to keep a patient stable during surgery without enough IV fluids.
Dr. Tricia Pendergast, an anesthesiologist, explained that these supplies are needed to support successful surgeries.
said Dr. Pendergast on TikTok: “If you work in healthcare, I don’t need to explain to you how devastating an IV fluid shortage is. I personally used five or six in the operating rooms today.”
This also interrupts life-saving home and outpatient treatments, such as dialysis.
Dialysis is a treatment that filters a person’s blood when the kidneys are not working properly. Patients sometimes need this several times a week to stay alive for years.
Dialysis companies, like DaVita Kidney Care, rely on IV fluids to run their machines. Davita reportedly sent a letter to his employees, warning that Baxter’s plant in North Carolina is the main supplier of dialysis solutions.
Without these fluids, people must delay treatment, with potentially life-threatening consequences. The company has 2,600 outpatient clinics in the US serving 200,800 patients with kidney failure.
A woman said on Baxter canceled. He still has two weeks. Why on earth wouldn’t there be a backup plan?’