Blood transfusion for patients in shock: devices for collection, transport, and storage

The transfusion of blood and blood components is essential for the resuscitation of patients with critical bleeding. These fragile biological therapeutics demand specialized devices for procurement, processing, transport, storage, and transfusion.

We discuss some of the challenges and solutions to the often-overlooked phases of transport and storage of blood and blood components.

Strict maintenance of temperatures is required to ensure the efficacy and safety of blood components. This can be achieved using active or passive transport systems, known as shippers. Additional storage and transportation considerations include pre-conditioning of cold or frozen bricks, packing construct of protective insulating material, location of blood components in shipper, and labeling of blood transport shippers. Blood components are usually collected and stored in polyvinyl chloride bags. Historically, plasticizers such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were added to preserve the quality of the product, but regulatory bans have led blood services to explore alternative plasticizers. Newer, dried blood components require innovative storage solutions currently ranging from glass containers to plastic bags that are modified to minimize degradation from light and moisture. Innovation in blood components demands innovation in devices for collection and storage, with oversight by accredited bodies for quality assurance.