Some elective surgeries in Minn. delayed amid hurricane-related shortage of medical fluids

Some elective surgeries were cancelled in the Twin Cities on Monday after hurricane damage caused a manufacturer of intravenous and sterile fluids to shut down a plant in North Carolina late last week.

M Health Fairview postponed all elective outpatient procedures and inpatient non-urgent surgeries on Monday that required sterile or IV fluids. The health system said in a statement that it may cancel procedures later in the week, depending on the outcome of an evaluation of fluid supplies.

Allina Health similarly cancelled some non-emergency procedures, including Tuesday’s scheduled removal of a benign tumor from the arm of 67-year-old Fred Frauenfelder at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids. The Elk River man received a call Friday afternoon to verify the surgery, then another call two hours later to say it was cancelled without a reschedule date.

“It really affects me when I’m sleeping, and then there are other pains with it,” Frauenfelder said of the tumor, called a lipoma. “I was really looking forward to (having it removed).”

Supplies of IV fluids started drying up nationwide after Baxter closed its North Carolina manufacturing plant last week and started limiting resupply orders. The manufacturer reported on Friday that stormwater from Hurricane Helene was “permeating the facility” and that a key bridge that provides access to the plant was damaged. Hundreds of workers sought to build a temporary bridge this weekend and get the plant back online.

Shortages included saline, which among other things is used to irrigate surgery sites, manage fluid levels and prevent dehydration in patients. Also in short supply is dextrose solution, which manages blood sugar levels and reduces surgical complications.

Some health systems were unaffected. Duluth-based Essentia Health reported no shortages Monday. Robbinsdale-based North Memorial Health likewise reported no delayed procedures, but said in a statement “that could change as we assess the effectiveness of our conservation strategies.”

The Minnesota Hospital Association said in a statement it was convening hospital leaders to discuss the situation and strategies to weather the temporary shortage.

Frauenfelder awoke Monday like usual — way too early and with a sharp pain that forced him to go snooze upright in an armchair. He was trying to make the best of the delay, squeezing in an extra round of golf after thinking that the surgery was going to end his season. The procedure had been scheduled nearly a month ago.

“They have not given me any timeframe or anything,” he said. “I guess I’ll just sit and wait. Who knows how long it’s going to be.”