The COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting a extreme scarcity of one other vital product within the U.S.: dye used to carry out routine — however doubtlessly lifesaving — affected person scans and procedures at hospitals.
Hospitals report being low on "distinction materials," a fluid that's injected into sufferers intravenously to make CT scans and MRIs readable. It additionally permits medical doctors to establish clots within the coronary heart and mind.
The scarcity stems from COVID-19 manufacturing facility shutdowns in Shanghai, China, the place many of the provide of the ingredient is made.
The College of Alabama at Birmingham Well being System not too long ago issued an alert acknowledging the "vital world scarcity of intravenous distinction utilized in imaging procedures like enhanced X-rays, CT scans and MRIs." In consequence, the medical heart is "aggressively" rationing the dye, requiring it to delay some elective imaging procedures.
"We'd like to ensure we have now IV distinction accessible for the sufferers in vital want," stated UAB Well being System CEO Selwyn M. Vickers.
Reserved for "life-or-death issues"
The hospital stated it is going to reserve its provide of dye for "life-or-death issues" and that disruptions for sufferers shall be "unavoidable" worldwide, given the shortage of dye suppliers exterior of China.
Dr. Phil Johnson, chief of radiology on the College of Kansas Well being System, stated use of the dye is being restricted to critically ailing sufferers.
"We needed to triage and restrict the usage of distinction dye to solely critically ailing sufferers that needed to have distinction dye both to determine a prognosis, or to information a lifesaving or a limb-sparing remedy," he stated.
The American Hospital Affiliation (AHA) on Monday referred to as on GE Healthcare, the principle provider of the fluid within the U.S., to offer extra details about the present scarcity.
American hospitals depend on "a constant provide" of GE's distinction fluid, referred to as Omnipaque, to diagnose and deal with a big selection of sufferers, together with these with life-threatening situations, AHA stated in its letter. The present scarcity is anticipated to final till no less than June 30.