Supply will be reassessed weekly; UVM Health Network patients will be contacted by their provider if impacted

The UVM Health Network, which includes the UVM Medical Center and other affiliated Vermont hospitals, will reschedule some elective surgeries “As part of the ongoing work to manage crucial supplies of IV fluid during a national shortage” caused by Hurricane Helene, a hospital spokesperson said Wednesday, October 23.

Hurricane Helene interrupted production of a North Carolina facility that manufactures 60% of some IV fluids nationwide. Production is expected to resume by the end of the year, company authorities said last week.

“Our goal is to begin restarting North Cove production as soon as possible and in phases by the end of this year. We do not yet have a timeline for when we expect production to be fully restored to pre-hurricane levels,” a spokesperson for Baxter Inc. said. The company is working to produce fluids from other facilities and is working with other industry members.

The following is republished from the UVMMC press release:

UVM Health Network has determined the need to reschedule certain elective procedures that use large amounts of IV and sterile irrigation fluid beginning this Friday. Patient safety will come first in the assessment of each case, and patients will be contacted if their procedure is impacted, the press statement said.

“We have to make sure we have the supplies on hand to provide emergency care to our patients when they need us,” said David Clauss, MD, chief medical officer at UVM Health Network. “Hospitals and health systems around the country have been rescheduling procedures, and we wanted to avoid doing so for as long as possible to minimize impacts to our patients, but this is a necessary step to ensure our supplies do not get too low.”

Next steps:

• Certain elective procedures currently scheduled for Friday, October 25, through Friday, November 1, which typically use large volumes of IV and sterile irrigation fluid, will be cancelled and rescheduled.
• Procedures will be evaluated based on urgency and patient safety.
• Not all procedures will be delayed – patients should continue arriving to procedures and appointments as scheduled unless they are contacted by their provider.

Going forward:

• Every Monday afternoon, teams will review supply levels of affected products and decide whether to proceed with the following week’s cases, giving one week of time to notify patients.
• Clinical leaders will work to identify other procedures that do not use high volumes of affected products, which can be scheduled to make the best use of staff and operating room time on behalf of patients.

“We are very sorry for any stress and inconvenience this necessary action will cause to our patients who are rescheduled,” Dr. Clauss said.

Background:

Cleanup efforts continue at a major IV fluid production facility in North Carolina flooded by Hurricane Helene, which has caused a nationwide shortage of IV fluid. University of Vermont Health Network hospitals are working to conserve IV fluids, closely monitoring supplies, and taking steps to minimize the potential impact to patients.

IV fluids are an important part of many surgical procedures and are integral to delivering a variety of medications, balancing electrolytes and treating or preventing dehydration.

Patients who visit a UVM Health Network location may continue to see hospital and clinic staff taking steps to conserve IV fluid, such as providing oral electrolytes and rehydration therapy when possible.