Riverside Health monitoring shortage of IV fluids due to Helena

According to an article on Virginia Public Radio, Riverside Health is monitoring a possible shortage of its IV fluid supply due to a possible shortage created when Baxter International, a supplier of the fluid, lost production from their facility near Ashville North Carolina due to damage from Helena.

Riverside Health’s website  said it is proactively managing its IV fluid supply to make sure there is no disruption to care. It means patients may receive different fluids when “clinically appropriate,” the system said in a statement.

Some hospital groups are postponing elective surgeries until the supply chain stabilizes.

Baxter International said it has been making “steady progress on cleanup and remediation” at its North Carolina facility, but it could be as long as two weeks before the company will have updates about when it expects to resume production. The IV supplier, which put shipments on hold last week to assess damages, said it resumed shipments of IV fluids processed before the storm to hospitals and dialysis centers this week.

Baxter also said it was ramping up production at its other facilities around the world to help meet supply needs in the United States. Those supplies are expected to supplement needs through October.