As health systems struggled with medical supply disruptions affected by inflation, geopolitical conflicts, demand spikes and COVID-19, here are eight noteworthy shortages from 2022:
Editor's note: The list is organized by Becker's publication date.
1. Hospitals grapple with saline shortages
Hospitals nationwide faced a shortage of common saline products because of supply chain bottlenecks and a large spike in demand amid the omicron surge.
2. Kidney organizations urge officials to prioritize dialysis center supplies as shortage looms
Leaders from four kidney organizations wrote a letter to White House officials April 8 urging them to prioritize the needs of kidney disease patients by addressing staff shortages and supply chain disruptions at dialysis centers across the country.
3. Imaging dye shortage means rocky 8 weeks ahead for hospitals
A shortage of a key ingredient used for imaging services forced physicians to ration medical scans for only the most crucial cases. The shortage of contrast media, an iodine solution injected into patients before CT scans and other imaging tests, stems from strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai, where GE Healthcare manufactures the ingredient.
The supply issue was first projected to last through June, and then was bumped to late September.
4. 118 drugs currently in shortage: FDA
Over the summer, the U.S. was short on more than 100 treatments, including cardiovascular, antibiotic and anti-infective drugs, according to the FDA. The agency's report on current and resolved drug shortages, which is updated daily, listed 118 drugs in shortage on June 15. It was a small uptick from Jan. 11, 2022, which listed 114 drugs on backlog, and November 2021, which listed 112.
5. Supply for Moderna's omicron booster hits snag
Two weeks after the CDC and FDA authorized Moderna's bivalent omicron booster for emergency use, doses ran out in a few U.S. states.
6. More Adderall generics on back order: 3 shortage updates
A growing list of drugmakers reported back orders for Adderall and its generics in a shortage that's been slowly worsening since August. Retail chains struggled to fill prescriptions for the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug.
7. Helium shortage raises concerns around MRIs
A shortage of liquid helium, a nonrenewable element that has been dwindling in supply, is worrying physicians because MRI machines require the ultra-cold material for its magnets.
8. Crib shortages send pediatric hospitals scrambling
As the "tridemic" of flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus continued, pediatric hospitals ran into a new problem: a shortage of medical-grade cribs.