Two Kids Hospitalized in Tennessee Because of Worsening Baby Formula Shortage

A physician at a Tennessee children's hospital said that two children got hospitalized at the facility due to the ongoing baby formula shortage. Both required a special amino acid-based formula because they have a condition called short bowel syndrome. The two kids were unable to efficiently digest food because they had fewer intestines.

While one child was discharged on Tuesday, May 17, the other kid remained at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital to get treatment. The child is in stable condition now after receiving care for dehydration and complications from lack of nutrients they would usually receive through specialized formulas produced by top manufacturer Abbott Laboratories.

Dr. Mark Corkins, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the hospital in Tennessee, often treats kids with short bowel disease. He told USA Today that those young patients rely on amino-acid-based formulas, adding that Abbott currently produces about 80 percent of that type of formula on the market.

Corkins said that as soon as he heard about the contamination at Abbott's warehouse in Sturgis, Michigan, he knew it would be a crisis. 

Toddlers, infants not the only ones affected by the formula shortage

According to Corkins, some of the patients he treats have lost their intestines. This means these young patients need to immediately absorb the amino acids as they do not have a regular digestive tract that absorbs these nutrients.

The patients admitted at the Le Bonheur hospital were 8 and 5 years old. They had preexisting complications like short bowel syndrome that required them to be fed with special milk formula. That means that it is not just toddlers and infants affected by the ongoing formula shortage.

While the number of children getting hospitalized at Le Bonheur due to the formula shortage is low, Corkins told the New York Post he could not rule out an uptick in young patients needing similar care in the future. Corkins said that he is not going to hold his breath, just to be honest, as he saw a different child today who was on an amino acid-based formula, and the mom only had two cans left of that needed product.

Read Also: Nestle Flies Baby Formula Supplies From Europe to the US to Alleviate Shortage in Supermarkets

Good news as Abbott to reopen Michigan facility soon

Corkins added that he could only tell parents facing such a nightmare scenario to take it day by day. Healthcare company and medical device producer Abbott Laboratories first recalled dozens of types of its popular Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac formulas back in February. That set many caregivers and parents on a buying spree that emptied aisles in stores across the United States.

Abbott announced on Monday that it had reached a deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reopen its Michigan facility that was shut down earlier this year amid the recalls. The shutdown contributed to the worsening baby formula shortage. According to CNBC, the company stated that production at the factory could restart within two weeks.

Related Article: FDA to Allow Baby Formulas Intended For Other Countries to be Used in the United States