Your Guide To Doctors, Health Information, and Better Health!
Your Health Magazine Logo
The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Mark Domanski, MD
How are IV (Intravenous) Fluids Used in Plastic Surgery?
Bluemont Plastic Surgery
. https://www.bluemontmd.com/

How are IV (Intravenous) Fluids Used in Plastic Surgery?

How are IV (Intravenous) Fluids Used in Plastic Surgery?

Baxter, a company that manufactures 60% of the United States’ supply of intravenous (IV) fluids had to shut down production at a production plant in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.  This has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the amount of IV fluids available for hospitals and medical clinics including plastic surgery.  Some hospitals in the DC area have cancelled elective (non-emergent) surgeries.

Plastic surgery procedures that require IV fluids

IV fluids are required for some plastic surgery procedures such as liposuction, mommy makeovers and neck lifts.  Liposuction uses IV fluids to reduce pain and bleeding and to loosen fat before fat removal.  For this reason, liposuction uses the most IV fluid among all plastic surgeries.  IV fluid is also frequently used to dilute local anesthesia medications that can be administered directly to the surgical sites during a mommy makeover.  Neck lifts are frequently performed under anesthesia or sedation, which means that IV fluids are used to hydrate the patient and administer medications.  In fact, almost any surgery that requires IV sedation or general anesthesia like breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, or gynecomastia (male breast) reduction will require some IV fluids.

Baxter, a company that manufactures 60% of the United States’ supply of intravenous (IV) fluids had to shut down production at a production plant in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
Baxter, a company that manufactures 60% of the United States’ supply of intravenous (IV) fluids had to shut down production at a production plant in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

Hospital policies to handle the shortage

Hospitals and clinics have instituted policies to reduce the amount of IV fluids that are being used.  Some hospitals are encouraging patients to drink clear liquids such as water and Gatorade up to two hours prior to surgery to minimize the need for IV fluid hydration during surgery.  Doctors are trying to use medications in the pill form instead of the IV fluid formulations.  We also tell our patients to drink plenty of fluids after surgery to help with healing and prevent dehydration.

Procedures that are not affected during the shortage

There are several plastic surgery procedures that do not require IV fluids.  Office procedures such as wrinkle treatment with Botox or Dysport use tiny amounts of fluid so Botox and Dysport treatments have not been affected.  Dermal fillers used to treat deep lines in the face such as the nasal-labial lines, or to add volume to cheeks or lips do not require any IV fluids.  Some treatments such as Sculptra do require normal saline as a diluent, but this amount is small, so Sculptra has also not been affected.

Chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and microneedling do not require any IV fluids so these procedures have also not been affected.  These procedures are performed using topical numbing medication and thus do not require anesthesia – thus no IV fluids are needed.  The fall is a great time to undergo laser scar revision, skin resurfacing, or non-invasive skin tightening procedures.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is looking at ways of expanding the national supply of IV fluids. Other manufacturing plants are looking to increase production.  For these reasons, we do not expect the IV fluid shortage to last long, but there will be some impact until it is over.

www.yourhealthmagazine.net
MD (301) 805-6805 | VA (703) 288-3130