Anesthesia & Analgesia recently published a letter to the editor co-authored by UF Department of Anesthesiology members Abigail Schirmer, M.D., Olga Nin, M.D., Laurie Davies, M.D., Joseph AbuRahma, M.D., and Lauren Berkow, M.D. Nina Sharifi, B.S., a medical student in the College of Medicine, was also a co-author. The article, titled “Ambulatory Surgery During Intravenous Fluid Shortage—A Potential Cost Saving and Sustainable Strategy for the Future?,” details resource- and cost-saving solutions that emerged following a natural disaster.
When Hurricane Helene hit in October 2024, a major intravenous (IV) fluid manufacturing site shut down. Hospitals had to reduce the amount of IV fluid they used in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) so that the limited supplies could be kept for emergencies. To do this at UF Health ASCs, physicians stopped giving patients large bags of saline for certain procedures and instead used prefilled normal saline syringes to push the same medicines directly into the vein. The researchers noted that prefilled syringes are just as safe for patients in cases that do not routinely require maintenance IV fluids, so the quality of care stays high.
By looking at three common procedures—electroconvulsive therapy, childhood circumcision, and cataract surgery—researchers found that the average cost for IV fluid bags and tubing was $6.71, while the prefilled syringes only cost $1.16. Based on average monthly case volumes for the ASCs, this would save roughly $1,000 for electroconvulsive therapy, $300 for circumcisions, and $600 for cataract surgeries. The estimated annual cost savings for these sites would be around $12,000, $3,500, and $7,300, respectively—over $22,000 in total.
Because the bags and tubing would no longer be needed, a lot of single‑use plastic would be avoided, which fits into larger efforts to keep hospital waste down. They further pointed out that many other procedures could also drop IV bags entirely, loosening supply constraints, saving money, optimizing physician workflow, and reducing environmental impact—all without compromising patient safety.
“We found substantial potential for cost savings with the conservation of IV fluids and implementation of IV push for administration of medications in our academic ASCs,” the authors noted. “This work underscores the potential for widespread adoption of IV fluid conservation strategies in the ambulatory setting, providing both economic and environmental benefits while maintaining high standards of patient care.”
Congratulations to our Department of Anesthesiology colleagues for their publication!