# IV shortage courtesy of Hurricane Maria

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iv-shortage-courtesy-of-hurricane-maria/802336>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 22, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iv-shortage-courtesy-of-hurricane-maria/802336 "2017-11-22T00:10:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iv-shortage-courtesy-of-hurricane-maria/802336/1 "2017-11-22T00:10:47Z")

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This has been running tonight on my local news. IV supplies are running low. Hospitals are taking steps to ensure supplies last. Using pills instead of fluids in some situations.

Turns out IV supplies are manufactured in Puerto Rico. Production won’t be fully restored until mid 2018.

It’s certainly nothing to panic over. The hospitals still have a limited supply. You may want to inquire about the implications, if you are considering elective surgery.

Some news sources are only reporting shortages of saline bags.

Arkansas has shortages of all IV supplies. They order from national suppliers. The problem must be nationwide.

> **[Arkansas hospitals: Shortage of IV equipment due to storm](https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/arkansas-hospitals-shortage-of-iv-equipment-due-to-storm/)**
>
> LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas hospitals say a national shortage of IVs is the worst they've ever seen since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September and knocked out a key plant that manufactures the medical equipment. The Northwest...

My local TV news didn’t state the problem quite this emphatically. There’s no need to frighten people.

> [@](#):
>
> Arkansas hospitals say a national shortage of IVs is the worst they’ve ever seen since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September and knocked out a key plant that manufactures the medical equipment.
> 
> The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that state hospitals are using syringes, pills and new ready-to-use products instead of IVs whenever possible to conserve supplies.