MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) — Wisconsin hospitals are contending with a hurricane induced shortage of IV fluids.
Helene hit a Baxter International plant in North Carolina that produces much of the nation’s supply of sterile intravenous fluids.
Wisconsin Hospitals Association President and CEO Eric Borgerding says the impact varies, but that all their members are to some degree being affected by the Baxter outage in North Carolina.
And while the Food and Drug Administration has temporarily authorized importation of IV products from Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K., Borgerding says long term solutions are needed.
“We can’t just wait for the next problem and then react to it like a fire drill,” said Borgerding. “We’ve got to learn from these lessons and make sure that we have more diversification of the sources and greater ability to store them and stockpile them for these types of emergencies.”
Borgerding also says the shortage has lead to the postponement of surgeries.
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