Posted by Michael Wonder on 22 May 2017
A vital drug runs low, though its base ingredient is in many kitchens
21 May 2017 - Hospitals around the country are scrambling to stockpile vials of a critical drug — even postponing operations or putting off chemotherapy treatments — because the country’s only two suppliers have run out.
The medicine? Sodium bicarbonate solution. Yes, baking soda.
Sodium bicarbonate is the simplest of drugs — its base ingredient, after all, is found in most kitchen cabinets — but it is vitally important for all kinds of patients whose blood has become too acidic. It is found on emergency crash carts and is used in open-heart surgery and as an antidote to certain poisons. Patients whose organs are failing are given the drug, and it is used in some types of chemotherapy. A little sodium bicarbonate can even take the sting out of getting stitches.
