PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Local hospitals continue to deal with a shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids after Hurricane Helene shut down a manufacturing plant in North Carolina earlier this month.
Experts at Brown Health said there is no reason to panic or avoid seeking medical care, but a trip to the emergency room may look a little different.
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Dr. Anthony Napoli, executive vice chair of emergency medicine at Brown Health, said the emergency department has been conserving IV fluids for the past several weeks.
“We focus on ensuring we have adequate supplies for the patients that are the most critically ill,” Napoli explained. “Beyond that, we focus on conserving fluids and transitioning patients… to oral rehydration.”
No elective surgeries have been cancelled yet, but that could change.
Dr. Dean Roye, chief medical officer at Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s hospitals, said he expects impacts to last through the end of the year.