Supply Will Be Reassessed Weekly; Patients Will Be Contacted By Their Provider If Impacted
Vermont Business Magazine As part of the ongoing work to manage crucial supplies of IV fluid during a national shortage, 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.
“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.
About University of Vermont Health Network
University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are:
University of Vermont Medical Center
University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice
Source: Burlington, Vt – 10.23.2024. UVMHN
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