Hospitals across North Texas continue to conserve supplies to avoid procedure delays as a nationwide IV fluid shortage tests systems across the country.
Flooding from Hurricane Helene in late September caused the company to close its North Carolina manufacturing plant. It's responsible for according to the American Hospital Association.
Stephen Love, president of the , said the coalition of 90 North Texas hospitals has avoided canceling or delaying elective procedures through conservation efforts and alternative types of solutions and treatments.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hopeful that maybe by the middle of December or end of December, we鈥檙e going to be almost back to normal,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been able to weather the storm, if you will, in the shortage of IV by total cooperation among our clinical leaders.鈥�
Parkland Health chief medical officer, said the hospital system is prepared to conserve fluids through the beginning of next year. Conservation efforts have ranged from eliminating automatic orders for fluids and asking attending physicians to use only as much fluid as needed.
鈥淲hat we really asked them to do at the beginning of the shortage was to now ... really think about what kind and what amount of fluids they need," he said. "A lot of those conservation efforts have worked really, really well."
Parkland Health has been receiving about half of the supply it did before the hurricane, Chang said. The hospital system is using 60% of its supplies compared to before the closure.
Texas Health facilities have similarly taken proactive conservation measures and have utilized 鈥渁lternative therapeutic options as clinically appropriate and in accordance with medical guidelines,鈥� a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Representatives with Children's Health and UT Health East Texas told 四虎影院 patients in their facilities have not experienced service disruptions.
Conservation efforts have varied at hospital systems across the country. Some systems across the country including have announced delays for elective surgeries.
Baxter International that the company will restart its second IV solutions manufacturing line in the next week. The company previously restarted its most productive manufacturing line earlier than expected. Combined, the two lines produce around 85% of the country's 1-liter IV solutions, which are the most used size among hospitals and clinics, before the hurricane.
The company aims to return to 90 or 100% allocations of certain IV fluids to hospitals by the end of the year.
Federal agencies have also , ship supplies to hospitals and increase IV fluid supplies from other providers 鈥� including temporary authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for IV fluids and dialysis products from other countries.
Kailey Broussard is 四虎影院's health reporter. Got a tip? Email Kailey at kbroussard@kera.org.
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