Twin Cities hospitals cancel surgeries amid IV fluid shortage concerns after Hurricane Helene

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Amid concerns over a possible IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene shut down a medical supply manufacturing plant in North Carolina, hospitals in the Twin Cities are canceling some surgeries to conserve limited stock. 

What we know

Both Allina Health and M Health Fairview confirmed on Sunday that they would cancel some procedures. Allina said it would reschedule all non-emergency surgeries, while M Health Fairview said it would postpone some elective procedures.

Fred Frauenfelder, of Elk River, was scheduled for arm surgery at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids on Tuesday. But he was told Friday night that his surgery was canceled.

"It was a big shock to me," he said. "My procedure was going to be canceled due to some issues with these IV bags."

Floodwater from the hurricane forced Baxter International to close its facility near Asheville, North Carolina, on Sept. 29. The facility manufactures IV fluid for hospitals nationwide.

What they're saying

In a statement on Sunday, Allina Health, which operates the hospital, said, in part: "Rescheduling and delaying non-emergency surgeries are decisions Allina Health does not take lightly."

M Health Fairview also announced on Sunday that it is "making the decision to postpone some elective, non-urgent surgeries."

For Frauenfelder, that means there will be no immediate solution to the pain that keeps him awake at night.

"No timeline at all. They just said I would be getting a call. And they didn’t give me any time frame — if it would be a week, two weeks, three weeks a month or anything like that. They just said I’d be getting a call down the road."

Baxter plans to reopen its plant at some point.