Posted BY: Jasmine | NwoReport
(Natural News) America is in the throes of a growing pharmaceutical shortage, and ambulances in Tennessee are reportedly feeling the pinch in a major way.
Some of the most commonly-used medications are in such short supply that some Volunteer State emergency vehicles are no longer able to help patients in desperate need of medicine.
Rick Valentine, president of the Tennessee Ambulance Service Association (TASA), said one of the most common emergency calls in his state is for diabetic patients experiencing hypoglycemia. Such patients are often unconscious, and paramedics will typically reach for D-50, a type of dextrose (sugar) that can help revive them in about a minute.
D-50 is a simple drug that used to be abundant, but because of continued manufacturing problems and supply chain woes, it is not as widely available as it once was.
“The brain is bathed in sugar, and so when it is depleted of sugar levels, it affects the brain and how it functions,” Valentine said.
“Getting that blood glucose level back to a normal level is very key, and it’s just, unfortunately, taking longer when you don’t have the D-50 that you need.” (Related: Last summer, the United Nations warned that a global food shortage “catastrophe” is also unfolding.)
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For the time being, TASA physicians have come up with a viable alternative: using IV bags filled with a lower concentration of dextrose. This will still allow diabetic patients to recover, though at a much slower rate.
