Hurricane Milton threatens IV fluid supply, already thin after Helene

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FILE-A medical staff member checks on a patient's IV fluid bags in a hospital room. (Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)

Critical hospital supplies like IV bags are being moved by federal officials out of the path of Hurricane Milton as it heads for the Florida area.

Milton is threatening a manufacturer of IV fluids as hospitals across the country are still recovering from Hurricane Helene which triggered flooding at Baxter International plant, a North Carolina factory that makes critical hospital supplies.

B. Braun Medical, a medical manufacturer, told the Associated Press that it is working with U.S. health officials to move its supply of IV bags to a secure area away from its factory in Daytona Beach, Florida, which is closed ahead of Hurricane Milton.

In an email obtained by the AP, a B. Braun Medical spokesperson tells the news outlet that the organization expects to resume manufacturing and shipping operations Friday morning.

Braun is one of several IV producers that received request to ramp up supplies after Baxter International's North Carolina plant was damaged; the plant is responsible for roughly 60% of the nation’s supply of IV fluids.

According to the AP, hospitals nationwide use over 2 million IV bags daily to keep patients hydrated and deliver medicines, but the damage from Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago compelled several hospitals to preserve their supplies.

The American Hospital Association is asking the Biden administration to take more steps to improve the shortage, including declaring a national emergency and asking defense production officials to urge private companies to prioritize IV production.

U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said his department is considering temporary imports of foreign supplies, extending expiration dates on existing IV products and identifying other U.S. plants that can help increase production, the AP reported.