Huntsville Hospital delays non-emergent surgeries due to IV fluid supply shortage

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — Huntsville Hospital is delaying non-emergent surgeries due to a critical shortage of IV fluids which resulted from hurricane damage to a main facility in North Carolina.

Huntsville Hospital officials said that Baxter International’s factory in Marion, North
Carolina provides a major portion of the IV fluids used in hospitals across the nation including the Huntsville Hospital Health System.

President and COO of Huntsville Hospital Tracy Doughty said that Baxter has reported that it could be months before the plant was back in operation.

“In the meantime, we were told that we would receive about 40 percent of our normal fluid supply for the time being. We do not know how long that period will be,” said Doughty.

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Doughty told News 19 that Huntsville Hospital and other regional hospitals have implemented critical response plans which include limiting non-emergent surgeries that use high volumes of fluids. These surgeries include some orthopedic, urology ,and gynecological surgeries.

Officials said that all uses of fluids will be evaluated according to the patients needs and the supply that is available.

While making sure the hospital is prepared for emergencies, officials are working to find new sources of IV fluids.

“We will do everything in our power to take care of our patients,” said Doughty.

Baxter International’s IV fluid manufacturing facility in Marion, North Carolina, supplied roughly 60% of the IV solution used by hospitals in the U.S. every day until Helene temporarily halted operations.

Earlier this week, the American Hospital Association (AHA) reached out to the White House and
appropriate federal agencies to take immediate actions to increase the supply of IV solutions for the nation’s hospitals.

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