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Imagine getting into an accident or undergoing a surgery that has left you with significant blood loss. The demand for blood is great, effecting approximately one in seven people entering a hospital and is needed every two seconds. Blood is a precious gift, so that’s why it’s imperative to ensure proper storage conditions during transport.
To maintain blood components, transportation periods should be a short as possible, preferably within 24 hours. There is no one set of rules to follow for prepping and packing blood for transportation. Storage conditions, especially transport times and temperature maintenance, depend on the type of blood component being shipped.
These are the standard guidelines, according to the Red Cross:
- Red Blood Cells: 2 °C to 10 °C
- Platelets: 20 °C to 24 °C
- Plasma: −25 °C or lower
To ensure blood components remain suitable for use, data loggers are essential to continuously monitor the internal temperature of shipments. Having an electronic record of the journey is extremely valuable with time and date stamped temperature readings recorded to ensure all products are safe to use when they arrive at their destination.
A popular data logging solution for this application is MadgeTech’s CryoTemp ultra-low temperature data logger. The CryoTemp records temperatures ranging from -86 °C to +35 °C and is equipped with an alarm to alert users when specified temperature levels have been breached, allowing the user to take corrective actions immediately.
MadgeTech specializes in data logging solutions for medical applications, to find the best solution for you, call us at (603) 456-2011 or email [email protected]
