New York City hospitals are starting to see shortages of dialysis fluid as thousands of COVID-19 patients develop kidney failure, according to Politico.
About 20 percent of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units in New York City are in need of dialysis, according to the report. COVID-19 patients, who are often also on ventilators, often require the kidney treatment for days, if not weeks.
Several New York hospital systems, including NYC Health + Hospitals and Mount Sinai Health System, met this week to discuss the emerging dialysis fluid crisis and some solutions.
Some hospitals in New York said they are facing dire shortages of the dialysis fluid and have reached out directly to dialysis fluid manufactures for help, according to Politico.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency held a call this week with the FDA and CMS to discuss ways of boosting dialysis fluid supplies, including using an emergency authorization to import more.
Access the full report here.