Rethinking the Operational Blood Bank Dilemma: Out of the "Box" Blood Storage and Transportation Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Blood Banking
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Blood transfusions are vital in trauma care but face challenges in austere environments due to unreliable cold chain storage.
• Maintaining proper refrigeration for blood products is crucial for patient safety, as temperature deviations can compromise efficacy.
• Traditional and battery-operated refrigeration systems have limitations in terms of size, power, and operational duration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of passively cooled devices, specifically commercial food coolers, for storing blood components.
• To determine the duration for which blood components can be adequately refrigerated using passive cooling methods.

Main Methods:

• A 45-liter capacity commercial cooler was utilized for the study.
• Saline bags (500mL) were pre-cooled to 1-6°C and placed inside the cooler.
• Internal cooler temperatures were monitored using a thermometer adjacent to the saline bags throughout the trials.

Main Results:

• Four trials were conducted, each lasting 168 hours.
• Three trials successfully maintained the target temperature range (1-6°C) for over 142 hours.
• One trial maintained the temperature range for 78 hours.

Conclusions:

• Passive refrigeration using commercial coolers and ice presents a practical alternative for blood storage in military, disaster, and austere settings.
• This method offers a potential solution to overcome the limitations of traditional cold chain logistics.
• Further research is recommended to explore extended blood storage durations with periodic ice replenishment.