Surgeries scheduled for Monday were canceled across the metro as hospitals across the state and across the country work to conserve IV fluids amid a massive shortage.

Baxter International supplies 60 percent of the nation’s IV fluids, causing a major supply chain disruption after the company’s North Carolina manufacturing plant shut down last week because of flooding and damage due to Hurricane Helene.

As the fallout continues, fear grows for patients with no end in sight to the shortage.

Yvonne Hemze of Farmington found out last month that she had a cancerous mass in her left kidney.

Hemze said she immediately scheduled the first available surgery on October 8 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

Asked how urgent her condition is, Hemze said her understanding is that “it was fairly urgent.”

“It’s gotta go because it’s taking up your whole kidney,” she continued. “It was devastating. I was terrified.”

Then, on Sunday, she got the cancellation call, and she hasn’t been told when it can be rescheduled.

“The longer it takes, the more life-threatening it’s gonna get. So it pissed me off,” Hemze said. “My risks are that it’s going to spread. It’s going to spread.”

Hemze is far from alone. In an interview on Monday, Dr. Rahul Koranne, President and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association, said every hospital in the state is conserving IV fluids.

When asked if there’s any end in sight to the shortage and when patients could expect to be rescheduled, he said, “Well, it all depends upon how fast, you know, the other manufacturing plants can increase their supply, and how fast can Baxter come back online.”

“That is a reality of which, you know, we are now dealing with, and we are trying to do the very best we can in our caring mission.”

Dr. Koranne couldn’t say how many procedures have been indefinitely postponed, but he said only some hospitals have resorted to that so far, including the Allina Health system, which includes Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Fairview Health Services and Hennepin Healthcare.

“Allina Health’s priority is patient safety. As part of our conservation efforts, we have temporarily adjusted non-emergency surgeries and other procedure schedules to ensure patients who have the most urgent needs get the care they need,” a spokesperson for Allina Health wrote in an updated statement on Monday.

M Health Fairview provided a statement that said, in part, “In response to the shortage, we are taking proactive measures to manage our supply and prioritize essential patient needs. This includes modifying our inventory management, centralizing storage, and adjusting elective procedures to conserve IV fluids.”

A spokesperson for Hennepin Healthcare said that the hospital is “actively addressing IV product management concerns, conservation strategies, and potential impacts to ensure continuity of care for our patients. As a result, we have had to cancel or reschedule some non-emergent (surgical) procedures, and patients are being notified of these changes.”

“Hospitals are looking at nonemergent, nonurgent surgeries and postponing them so that patient care for other patients that have more critical conditions can continue uninterrupted,” Dr. Koranne said.
 
As Hemze waits anxiously by the phone, she questions how hospitals where hospitals are drawing that line.

“If I want to live, it’s not elective. To me, that makes it life-threatening,” she said.

Baxter International, in a late afternoon update, said it’s recovered some IV fluids from the damaged plant and is shipping those out to help in the short term. The company also said some of its international plants started ramping up production to ship to the US as the North Carolina site remains out of commission.

We also reached out to Health Partners and the much smaller Ridgeview Health system. Neither have canceled procedures thus far. Ridgeview was still planning its conservation strategy as of this report.

HealthPartners released the following statement:

“We are closely monitoring our IV fluid supplies and use. We are actively developing strategies to manage inventory, which may include adjustments to planned procedures as necessary. We will continue to address patient needs thoughtfully and appropriately as circumstances evolve.“

Full statement from Allina Health:

“Our thoughts are with the communities recovering from the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene. The Baxter manufacturing facility in North Carolina is temporarily offline due to this significant weather event, causing a shortage of IV fluids that is impacting Allina Health and other health care systems across the country. This is a rapidly evolving situation. Allina Health is working with the Minnesota Hospital Association, American Hospital Association and state and federal officials to ensure all options are on the table to increase supplies to meet the care needs of our patients.

Allina Health’s priority is patient safety. As part of our conservation efforts, we have temporarily adjusted non-emergency surgeries and other procedure schedules to ensure patients who have the most urgent needs get the care they need. Rescheduling and delaying non-emergency surgeries and procedures are decisions Allina Health does not take lightly, as we understand the impact it has on our patients and our providers. We are directly contacting patients who may be affected by these schedule changes and will work to prioritize rescheduled procedures as soon as we are safely able to do so.”

Full statement from Hennepin Healthcare:

“Hennepin Healthcare is actively addressing IV product management concerns, conservation strategies, and potential impacts to ensure continuity of care for our patients. As a result, we have had to cancel or reschedule some non-emergent (surgical) procedures, and patients are being notified of these changes.     
 
We are also in contact with other healthcare systems to coordinate efforts and resources as needed during this challenging time.”

Full statement from M Health Fairview:

“Due to damage sustained at Baxter’s North Cove, North Carolina manufacturing facility from Hurricane Helene, our hospital system is experiencing a reduced supply of intravenous (IV) fluids. 

In response to the shortage, we are taking proactive measures to manage our supply and prioritize essential patient needs. This includes modifying our inventory management, centralizing storage, and adjusting elective procedures to conserve IV fluids. We are contacting patients who may be affected by surgery schedule changes directly.

Rescheduling and delaying surgeries are decisions we do not take lightly, and we understand the impact it has on our patients. We are working closely with the Minnesota Hospital Association, state and federal officials, supply chain leaders and our clinical teams to evaluate additional relief options and to ensure the safety and quality of care remains uncompromised as we manage this temporary disruption.“