YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) -- Nearly three months after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina and the nation's leading supplier of IV fluids, hospitals in southern Arizona are still feeling the impact.
Baxter's manufacturing plant in North Carolina supplies 60% of the IV fluids used in hospitals nationwide.
While production is slowly improving, some hospitals continue canceling elective surgeries because of the IV shortage.
Arizona hospitals like Onvida Health in rural Yuma are finding ways to ration their IV fluid supply amid the nationwide shortage.
Michael Tracy, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital said it's been challenging especially during these winter months.
"Our population tends to double when the winter visitors arrive. So when we shifted from the summer to the winter months we had a much higher population which unfortunately means many more patients in the hospital needing those same fluids," said Tracy.
Although they've been able to get back to doing some elective surgeries, he said it's all based on their daily supply.
"It does tend to change day to day which products are available and which products are limited. We have to keep a very close eye on our shipments," Tracy said. "We've had to become really good stewards of the limited amount of IV fluids that are available to us."
He said the hospital has been busy with a bigger population in Yuma during the winter months.
Tracy said emergency visits have not been disrupted, and they've been able to meet the needs of patients who need IV fluids the most.
As the shortage continues to impact hospitals nationwide, Tracy said IV fluids are critical for patients who need them.
"Quite honestly if these patients don't have access to these IV fluids this could be something where either their disease process is significantly prolonged or they will not survive that disease process," he said.
According to the latest news release, Baxter expects to be running at full capacity by the end of the year, and surgeons like Tracy are hopeful.
"We look forward to getting into the new year and moving past this crisis," he said.