Expert: IV shortage may not be a sign of other shortages

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Hurricane Helene caused the flooding of the Baxter plant in North Carolina, which is responsible for 60% of the IV fluid supply. One expert says while it's a shock to the system, there should not be other shortages to worry about.

Ananth Iyer from the University at Buffalo says there are ways to reduce demand.

"There are various reports that some hospitals are trying to switch from intravenous to oral hydration therapies for some patients, so some patients can have Gatorade or plain water as an alternative to intravenous," said Iyer in an interview with WBEN.

Some hospitals are rescheduling surgeries, particularly elective surgeries, to a little bit later so they can conserve the supply. Catholic Health has done just that.

Meanwhile, on the supply side, Iyer says the FDA does have a central monitoring station for drug shortages, and Health and Human Services has been trying to find a way to get access to the site.

"But there's also other firms, other than Baxter, that have started increasing their production to operate 24/7 at their facilities to make up a bunch of the supply," Iyer added.

Iyer says there is no cause for panic. While Baxter supplies 60% of IV fluids, the remaining 40% supply comes from a whole bunch of other suppliers in the system. Iyer has not seen any shortages in other areas.

"The main reason is because once you have some notice - I think with high probability, there's a whole bunch of days of inventory - there's a little bit of time before it actually hits. That's the time that everybody would have to scramble," Iyer noted.

At this point, hospitals have the capacity to treat patients.