IV Fluid Shortages Update: ASHP Leads Webinar on Safe Use of Imported Products

On Dec. 5, ASHP and its partners in the End Drug Shortages Alliance will host a webinar on managing the patient safety risks of using imported fluid products, which are arriving in healthcare facilities amid the continuing shortages caused by Hurricane Helene’s impact on a Baxter manufacturing facility.

The webinar will feature speakers from Baxter, ASHP, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and two health systems, who will discuss resources and strategies to reduce the risk of errors due to differences in language, appearance, and barcode availability. Presenters will also discuss the clinical differences between dextrose and glucose solutions.

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The Small- and Large-Volume Fluid Shortages—Suggestions for Management and Conservation resource has also been updated with a section on safe use of imported products, featuring links to Baxter’s Hurricane Helene clinical resources, which include videos highlighting the differences between glucose and dextrose. ASHP's updated resource also features a link to our new Fluid Shortage: Importation Risk Mitigation Strategies.

Last week, Baxter released its first products since the hurricane damaged its North Cove manufacturing facility. The company confirmed on Tuesday that customers would begin receiving new allocation levels for several IV product groups. Baxter also expects to resume manufacturing peritoneal dialysis fluids and irrigations in early December.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Baxter previously announced that four lots of IV fluid bags manufactured before Hurricane Helene will be released this week. The lots may contain a small proportion of bags with leaks. Practitioners should apply pressure to each bag in these lots and inspect for leakage or signs of leakage.