A crisis and potentially deadly situation has been averted in American Samoa.
The island’s only dialysis clinic had been closed since Wednesday because of a product recall but it reopened Friday afternoon.
The machines in Hawaii use a powder while the machines in American Samoa require a solution.
The solution was recalled because of a possible bacterial contamination.
There are about 160 people in American Samoa with kidney failure, who depend on dialysis to survive.
“Usually when patients are on chronic chemodialysis if they miss one treatment there’s usually no clinical consequences but once people miss two and three treatments they can have life threatening complications. Beyond a week again their life is in jeopardy,” said kidney specialist Dr. James Ireland.
Another shipment of the solution is on its way to Pago Pago on Hawaiian Airlines, and should arrive Friday night.
A military flight is scheduled to arrive on Monday from Honolulu with the rest of the supplies needed.
