Hospital supply chain leaders are concerned that the nation's sale of its helium stockpile could worsen an existing supply shortage, NBC News reported Jan. 25.
Helium is the coldest element on Earth and keeps the magnetic fields in MRI machines cold enough to operate. An estimated 40 million MRI scans are conducted each year in the U.S. to detect cancer, spinal cord injuries, liver diseases and heart conditions. The machines typically need around 2,000 liters of helium to operate. Supply of the element has been strained for years, with the shortage making headlines numerous times over the past few years.
On Jan. 25, the government sold the Federal Helium Reserve, which supplies around 30% of the nation's helium. The deal has not yet been finalized, though the sale will likely go to industrial gas company Messer, which is the highest bidder, according to NBC's report. Once finalized, the buyer would own the massive pipeline structure that spans nearly 500 miles across Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
A sale has been in the works for nearly a decade, though it has faced a series of delays due to long-standing logistical and regulatory issues. Such challenges pose the threat of temporary shutdown as the reserve passes from public to private ownership. The possibility of additional helium supply chain disruptions has the healthcare industry worried.
"Shutting down the U.S. helium reserve would force a situation where we would have to increase our reliance on foreign sources, like Qatar and Russia," Soumi Saha, PharmD, senior vice president of government affairs at Premier, which contracts with helium suppliers for most of the nation's hospitals, told NBC. "Given the ongoing geopolitical concerns and tensions in those regions and shipping delays, it would increase concerns around potential shortages on U.S. soil."
Already, three of five suppliers in the U.S. are rationing helium for the most necessary uses, including MRI machines.
"It's probably not good to use helium for party balloons anymore," Scott Reeder, MD, PhD, chair of the University of Wisconsin's radiology department, told the news outlet.
Helium supply chain issues haven't reached crisis levels yet, but experts say careful coordination and considerations are needed to prevent any disruptions from reaching patient care.
"Our hope is that health care will be prioritized, but that’s never a guarantee during any shortage of any item," Dr. Reeder said.