This is the kind of thing you'd expect to find in a third world country, a shortage of IV saline, a very basic supply for modern medical car in hospitals. Despite what the article implies there are many times where oral hydration will not work. Isn't it great the big government has been interfering in the delivery of medical care for decades ?


U.S. hospitals hit with shortage of intravenous saline
By Susan Kelly
January 29, 2014

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it is working with the three manufacturers of intravenous saline solutions commonly used to hydrate hospital patients to address a shortage caused by a spike in demand.

Healthcare providers are reserving supplies of the fluids for their most seriously ill patients, and the product manufacturers - Baxter International Inc, Hospira Inc and B. Braun Medical Inc - have stepped up production in response, said Valerie Jensen, FDA's associate director for drug shortages.

"We have not heard of anyone running out of the IV solutions at this point, but we know the hospitals are not comfortable with the low supplies," Jensen said.
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To cope with the shortage, healthcare providers are using substitute products such as oral hydration fluids or smaller IV saline bags with slower drip rates when appropriate, said Bona Benjamin, director of medication use quality improvement for the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.

"We have heard from our members all over the country that the shortage is serious," Benjamin said. "People are able to cobble together enough of a supply to get by day to day."

(Reporting by Susan Kelly in Chicago; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

http://news.yahoo.com/u-hospitals-hit-sh...OhSBmoAFufQtDMD