University of Rochester Medical Center hospitals are pausing some elective and semi-elective surgeries due to a shortage of IV sterile fluids. The pause goes into effect on Wednesday.

Officials say this comes after a manufacturer of the IV fluids was impacted by Hurricane Helene. It has created a nationwide shortage of these medical products.

URMC says the U.S. government has approved the use of fluids from international suppliers and UR Medicine procurement teams are working to increase supplies from multiple vendors. UR Medicine staff members have also taken steps to use fluids more efficiently, however, they say the incoming supply of IV fluids still does not match the rate at which they are used. 

"I know for convenience and for other reasons, people would like the surgery done as soon as possible, otherwise they wouldn't have it scheduled, URMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Apostolakos said. "Our heart goes out to them. And we'd like to perform it for them as soon as possible, but we have to gauge surgeries on how urgent they are for life or limb."

The health system says the pause will allow them to ensure that they can prioritize urgent and emergency situations. URMC says all cases will be reviewed daily to determine the urgency.

According to URMC, there's no need for patients to contact their surgeons. Patients will be contacted directly.