Normal Saline shortage

cruiseforever

cruiseforever

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We are starting to have a hard time to get Normal Saline in 500 cc bags. We have been told it's a national issue. Have you noticed or heard anything at your service?
 
The hospital I work at has it down as a shortage that they're predicting to last for a year or so. But we are a large hospital, so it's not really affecting us.
 
Yep. We've heard national shortage and that the pharmacy is considering starting to make up their own. So far we've still managed to get 500 mL bags most of the time, but we've been warned that could change. It blows my mind that the medical community could somehow run low on something like this, but we're living with it just fine.
 
We have a shortage here in the hospital. We have changed some policies and try to avoid KVO fluids when possible. We also no longer "pre-spike" bags until we for sure need them.
 
Yea there is a shortage here, hospitals have been supplying us with saline locks and flushes instead of bags for restock.
 
Anjel said:
Yea there is a shortage here, hospitals have been supplying us with saline locks and flushes instead of bags for restock.
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We've stockpiled a whole bunch of liter bags ad we don't use 500s (right now). I work at a pretty lock-use heavy place to begin with.
 
I've had a box of 1L bags of NS on back order from Boundtree for a month.

Largely, we're just hanging ringers instead. We've got a few bags of saline we're hoarding in case LR is contra-indicated for some reason.
 
UnkiEMT said:
I've had a box of 1L bags of NS on back order from Boundtree for a month.

Largely, we're just hanging ringers instead. We've got a few bags of saline we're hoarding in case LR is contra-indicated for some reason.
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We asked if we could look at adding LR to the protocols, and the answer was a resounding no. I use locks on ~80% of my lines anyway, but a lot of people prefer hanging fluids.
 
We use 1L bags. No issues.
 
I thought this was a joke, but I guess it's true. No wonder why were low on bags here too. South Florida.
 
5eme6era.jpg


Problem solved.
 
Unless a patient needs fluid we are only doing saline locks. I agree seems unbelievable that something so basic and simple should be shorted.
 
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Underoath87 said:
I'm not much of a conspiracy buff, but I suspect that there was some supply & demand market manipulation at play here.
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Supply and demand market manipulation?

How would that work?
 
Halothane said:
Supply and demand market manipulation?

How would that work?
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Like any other planned shortage.
If you know there is going to be a sharp increase in demand, yet you decide to temporarily close your factory right beforehand, you can get hospitals to pay whatever you're asking for your current stockpile and all new inventory as soon as production resumes (this may not be so obvious as "hey, our NS now costs 5X more per bag", but you could easily forgo giving certain regular price breaks/discounts).
I don't know that anyone masterminded this, but I doubt they did everything they could to prevent a shortage, since they're great for business.
 
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Do people still routinely hang fluids TKO? If they don't need fluids then I and everyone at work just start locks, which is how it's been done for a good while. Only time it really gets done here is with a small IV that someone really doesn't want to clot off.
 
Underoath87 said:
Like any other planned shortage.
If you know there is going to be a sharp increase in demand, yet you decide to temporarily close your factory right beforehand, you can get hospitals to pay whatever you're asking for your current stockpile and all new inventory as soon as production resumes (this may not be so obvious as "hey, our NS now costs 5X more per bag", but you could easily forgo giving certain regular price breaks/discounts).

I don't know that anyone masterminded this, but I doubt they did everything they could to prevent a shortage, since they're great for business.
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I suppose that is possible, but it seems quite unlikely. You'd need a massive amount of cooperation between bitter competitors just to make a few bucks for a short time, when they are already making money hand over fist. Much of the higher amount they can charge because of higher demand is largely offset by the fact that they are selling a lot less of it. Not to mention every time this happens they get more bad press and have to answer to congress.
 
We haven't had any issues. Still have 1L, 500mL, 250mL, and 50mL
 
Underoath87 said:
Like any other planned shortage.
If you know there is going to be a sharp increase in demand, yet you decide to temporarily close your factory right beforehand, you can get hospitals to pay whatever you're asking for your current stockpile and all new inventory as soon as production resumes (this may not be so obvious as "hey, our NS now costs 5X more per bag", but you could easily forgo giving certain regular price breaks/discounts).
I don't know that anyone masterminded this, but I doubt they did everything they could to prevent a shortage, since they're great for business.
Click to expand...

I'm also a believer in a conspiracy theory myself.. every year there is a shortage of a drug.. last year it was epi.. I think the year before was D50..
 
The title begs the question…are there "Abnormal Saline" shortages?

(I resisted for as long as I could)
 
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