Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

David Clauss, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and chief medical officer at the UVM Health Network

(OCTOBER 24, 2024) The Burlington Free Press reported on comments by David Clauss, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and chief medical officer at the UVM Health Network, about the necessity to delay some elective procedures due to national shortage of IV fluids following Hurricane Helene.

The UVM Health Network announced Wednesday it is rescheduling some elective procedures that require large amounts of IV and sterile irrigation fluids because Hurricane Helene knocked out a major supplier of the fluids in North Carolina, triggering a national shortage, according to a press release. 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, according to UVMHN.

“We have to make sure we have the supplies on hand to provide emergency care to our patients when they need us,” Clauss said in a statement. “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 impact to our patients, but this is a necessary step to ensure our supplies do not get too low.”