Minnesota hospitals navigate IV fluid shortage  

After Hurricane Helene shut down production of the world’s largest IV fluid manufacturer, Minnesota hospitals scrambled to find new sources and canceled some surgeries. 

Weeks later, the hospitals report varying levels of normalcy with the help of new conservation methods. 

Baxter International’s manufacturing site in Marion, N.C., supplies 60 percent of the IV fluids used in health care systems across the U.S. 

The 1.4 million-square-foot facility and the roads around it were significantly impacted by flood water, halting production of critical fluids until earlier this week when the company released its first IV solutions post-hurricane. 

Hospitals have found creative ways to make the best use of the IV supplies that they receive.  

Kevin Hawn, an emergency room nurse at United Hospital, said they are still providing Gatorade as a rehydration method instead of IV fluids in the emergency room. 

“We've identified some new distribution partners and have kind of gone back to the way things used to be in terms of IV fluids,” Hawn said. “We might still be trying to conserve, but it’s just not as pressing as it was before.” 

Baxter also makes dialysis fluids and total parenteral nutrition, or TPN, a method of providing nutrients directly into the bloodstream through a vein rather than by mouth. 

United Hospital was out of TPN due to the supply chain disruption and was not able to get the necessary fluids. Hawn said they learned it is not ideal to rely on one supplier. 

Shortly after Helene, some Minnesota health systems postponed non-emergency procedures to conserve IV fluids. 

Hennepin Healthcare has since resumed non-emergent surgeries and procedures but is evaluating the situation daily based on supply and potential usage. Conservation efforts, such as reserving IV fluids for patients in critical need, using lower-volume doses and encouraging oral hydration when clinically appropriate, remain in place. 

At M Health Fairview, IV fluid supply levels are stabilizing. After a pause of four days, the health system resumed all services on Oct. 11 and is rescheduling elective surgeries that were previously impacted.

Allina Health continues to receive significantly less than normal amounts of IV fluid resources, and for certain IV solution products, they expect this to carry on into next year.

In a statement, Allina Health said, “We have been working with many manufacturers to source these products; however, supplies are extremely scarce as this shortage is impacting health systems throughout the country.”

Essentia Health spokesperson Anthony Matt said they are not currently experiencing a shortage of IV fluid and are not making any adjustments at this time.

In a weekly update, Baxter said it will look at the ways it stores, allocates and stocks its products. The company plans to have production back at 100 percent by the end of the year. 

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