California Hospitals Grappling With Shortage Of IV Bags Following Hurricane In Puerto Rico
A vast percentage of the IV bags used in the country come from the small island that was devastated by the storm.
The Mercury News:
Shortage Of Life-Saving IV Bags Challenges Bay Area Hospitals
It’s usually one of the first items you’ll see after you enter a hospital room: a small, clear plastic bag filled with a saline or sugar-water solution, hanging above a loved one’s bed. But a serious shortage of the bags used to inject drugs intravenously is now alarming many Bay Area hospitals after Hurricane Maria in September slammed into Puerto Rico and shut down production at three plants owned by Baxter International, which makes a large percentage of the IV bags used in the United States. (Seipel, 11/10)
KPCC:
Hospitals Scramble To Deal With A Shortage Of Saline Drip Bags
Hurricane Maria's ripple effects have reached California. When the storm destroyed much of Puerto Rico's infrastructure, it disrupted the operations of the leading manufacturer of saline solution IV bags, leading to a shortage that has affected California and other states. (Faust, 11/10)