The ABC revealed some patients were staying in hospital care units for longer because of a global shortage of IV fluids. Some doctors are forced to ration the liquid. Pressure mounts on the government to secure more of the essential medicine.
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00:00Life-saving liquid in short supply.
00:06Earlier this week we didn't have some of the fluids that we need for the surgery I do and
00:09had to do workarounds.
00:11From treating infection to staving off dehydration, IV fluids like saline are an essential medicine.
00:19But a global shortage is forcing some doctors to ration them.
00:24There is a lot of pressure on clinicians, particularly in some regions, they very much
00:29cut back on their fluids.
00:30Impacting doctors and now patients too.
00:34An internal email sent at one major Sydney hospital, obtained by the ABC, tells staff
00:40there have been instances of patients who had little or no IV fluid during an operation
00:46having an extended stay in the recovery unit because of hypertension and dehydration.
00:53Restricting fluids can harm patients.
00:56They become dehydrated and their blood pressure can be lower but their organs, particularly
01:00their kidneys can be harmed.
01:02A surge in demand along with manufacturing constraints are fuelling the shortage, prompting
01:08the federal government to convene an urgent response team.
01:12Health authorities are insisting patient safety hasn't been compromised.
01:16We haven't gone down a path of needing to cancel surgery yet.
01:20This remains a significant challenge for us as a system.
01:23This is a global shortage as you said and it is very much out of our control.
01:28The COVID pandemic exposed a heavy dependence on imported health products and this latest
01:34shortage proves that's still the case with IV fluids.
01:37As one seasoned health regulator has put it, it's complex but inexplicable.
01:43Australia can't make enough sterile salt water to meet its needs.