Posted on 01/11/2014 1:13:07 PM PST by bkopto
How is this shortage of Normal Saline going to affect your facilities?
I hear that Baxter may have production levels back to normal on the 17th January? This has the potential to be detrimental to our dialysis patients.
Fresenius are also experiencing a shortage of saline
Are your facilities making back up plans?
I hear that hospitals will be affected too!
Some of the units I work with use a vast amount of Normal saline per day
What I want to know is how are these 'drugs' in short supply?
Normal Saline, seriously how can this happen!
(Excerpt) Read more at allnurses.com ...
Fresenius announces shortage of 1-liter normal saline product
September 18, 2013
“Fresenius Medical Care North America announced that there is a temporary shortage of its 1-liter normal saline product. Because of its high market demand the, Fresenius Medical Care 1-liter 0.9% sodium chloride saline product (SKU: 060-10109) is in short supply. The shortage is the result of an issue with customs affecting their production facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, which normally handles the increased demand for the product.
Fresenius said it has implemented a new order entry control and are also investigating secondary suppliers. Orders will be limited to one week’s worth of product at a time based on historical ordering patterns unique to each business, Fresenius said. “We anticipate this being a short-term issue and that we will be able to return to standard ordering procedures within the next few weeks,” according to a memo from Fresenius.
The National Renal Administrators Association sent a letter to the U.S. Food ad Drug Administration encouraging them to help make sure the matter is resolved safely and expeditiously. In response, the FDA stated their belief that the shortage issue has been resolved. The NRAA encourages members to continue to look for alternative sources of saline while the resolution process is taking place.”
FOUR MONTHS ago!?!
FDA heads need to roll. If there are problems with this particular supplier the the FDA should have others ready to meet the need. What did they do, turn the problem over to FEMA?
Are you serious? “Coconut water?”
just the other day I came across an article tying a middle eastern company named Hikma with Baxter pharm. I’m not one that follows business news but this didn’t sit well with me.
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9bd16636-e381-11df-8ad3-00144feabdc0.html
Cue Roberta Flak.
Miramichi Regional Hospital, Horizon Health Network, New Brunswick, Canada
My mistake. It was 14 years, not 18 years. So it wasn't really as bad as I made out.
Officials grappled with whether to inform public about unsterilized forceps
You can make it at home:
How to Make Normal Saline
This recipe for normal saline will save you money and allow you to fix the
amount you need. Other names for this solution are boiled salt water, sodium
chloride 0.9% solution, or isotonic sodium chloride. Normal saline is used for
cleaning wounds, suctioning, tracheostomy care and other treatments.
Supplies:
C Table salt (plain, not iodized) C Sterile jar with lid C Measuring cup
C Measuring teaspoon C Pan with lid C Timer or clock
Steps to follow:
C Wash your hands well with warm water and soap. Rinse with warm water and
dry.
C Get your supplies together.
C Wash the pan and lid with mild soap and water. Rinse well with water.
C To make one (1) quart (32 ounces or 1000 ml), measure 4 cups of tap water
and pour it into the pan.
C Add 2 level teaspoons of table salt to the water.
C Cover the pan. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Be sure to
keep the lid on the pan.
C Remove the pan from the heat. Keep the lid on the pan while the normal saline
cools to room temperature.
C Pour the normal saline into a sterile jar. Close the jar tightly with a sterile lid.
C Label the jar with the date and time the normal
saline was made. Also mark the date and time
you should throw away or discard any that is
left in the jar. This would be 48 hours after
you open the jar. Here is an example of a
label:
C Throw away unopened jars of normal saline one month after you prepared
them.
Department of Nursing
The Ohio State University Medical Center
This is from a home nursing guide for patients. Just google how to make normal saline. It is a .pdf
“Use coconut water instead, problem solved.”
Really?...You first, let us know how it works out for you.....if you survive.
The sodium chloride used in IV solutions must be 100% pure. It also must be low iron. USP rules. A liter of NS costs about eighty cents.
I see a commenter already noted that this opens the door to low (or no) quality Chinese imports.
But reading about how people have been turned away from hospitals without treatment because of Obamacare snarls that make obtaining authorization impossible, and now saline shortages, I wonder if they are trying to “prove” that Obamacare cuts costs? Or create a firestorm of complaints that they “offer” to solve with single payer? Or all of the above.
Only uneducated guess I can make: Perhaps because there is so no money in it?
National Shortage of Normal Saline
Thanks, Slings and Arrows.
People are so fussy nowadays.;-)
Oh, I shed a tear....
I would suspect someone has developed a method of turning it into some type of drug that can be smoked, snorted, or shot up, thereby causing the shortage.
10-15 years ago the VA was not cleaning their biopsy equipment and a lot of people, including my dad, got false positives for prostate cancer. I will never get a biopsy on my prostate.
Had a shootin’ match this morning. Seven shooters. 40 rounds plus sighters, each. 22LR. Felt just like fueling up a yacht with 7000 gallons of fuel.
That recipe might be fine for wound irrigation and so forth, but I would not want to use it for IV or sub-Q indications. It isn’t pH buffered, and probably not sterile (15 minutes of boiling will not kill spore forming bacteria, and pouring it in your kitchen has a high chance of contaminating it). I also doubt that most patients are trained in sterile technique.
I would suggest keeping the prepared containers in the dark in a cool place. I don’t necessarily recommend putting them in the fridge, since the fridge would inhibit (most) bacterial growth, but not fungal growth, and most home fridges are not routinely disinfected.
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