Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health, but many patients requiring transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood. Providing safe and adequate blood should be an integral part of every country’s national health care policy and infrastructure. An adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can be assured by a stable base of regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors. These donors are also the safest group of donors as the prevalence of blood borne infections is lowest among this group.
About the Customer:
The Metropolitan Blood Center (CMS) collects voluntary blood donations and supplies blood components to the entire healthcare network of the metropolitan region of Chile, including over 20 public hospitals, while adhering to meet commitments to the Ministry of Health on Blood Services and the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) regarding transfusion medicine.
Key Customer Challenges:
All activities related to blood collection, testing, processing, storage and distribution are coordinated at the national level. This is done through effective organization and integrated blood supply networks, to promote uniform implementation of standards, and consistency in the quality and safety of blood and blood products.
Donated blood and blood components are transported to the various healthcare institutions by a secure system using transit containers, packing materials and procedures. These have been validated for the purpose to ensure the blood component surface temperature can be maintained within the correct ranges during transportation.
Collected blood is usually stored as separate components, and some of these components have short shelf lives. The limited storage time means that it is difficult to have a stockpile of blood. Each component must be stored under its ideal conditions, ensuring the timely and efficient use of precious blood donations.
Solution Implementation:
The Metropolitan Blood Center (CMS) places Fourtec’s MicroLite temperature data loggers inside the secure transit containers with the precious blood donations during transportation to each of the healthcare centers. Once the container arrives to its destination, the courier returns the MicroLite device to CMS, and the logger is connected via direct USB interface to the computer. A PDF report is generated using the license-free DataSuite software. This gives an immediate indication if there are any deviations from the pre-defined thresholds. The report is then sent to the specific center. The report provides the hospital with the required documented proof that the correct temperature range was maintained during transportation.
Onsite at CMS during storage of the blood components, temperature is monitored with an extensive DataNet wireless data logging system. Each logger monitors varying conditions according to the requirements of the particular components, as follows:
- 22x DataNet DNL808BXT wireless data loggers with external temperature probes, monitoring platelet incubators at 22°C, refrigerators at -4°C and freezers at -40°C.
- A DNR900 receiver connects all the loggers wirelessly to a PC;
- There is also one DNL910 data logger for the ULT Freezer at -86°C;
- The ambient temperature is monitored with 11x DNL910 data loggers;
- 2x DNL920 loggers monitor ambient humidity;
- The system is completed with an SMS Alert system and 2 External Siren/Strobe Alarms.
Measurable Results:
The MicroLite is a value for money, water resistant, compact, accurate, low cost logger allowing intuitive and quick implementation with the free, user-friendly, DataSuite software which is suitable for both the transportation and storage data that is collected. This means that only one free software is necessary to indicate any deviations from the defined measurement ranges both during transportation and storage, and the data and can be easily documented and reported to verify conditions for safe delivery of the components.
For refrigeration onsite, the DataNet wireless loggers’ internal memory stores data, no matter what transmission disruptions occur, allowing full data retrieval and transfer at any time. The DataNet ZigBee technology overcomes transmission obstacles, automatically finding the most cost effective, efficient and secured data path to the PC. The DataNet intelligent network remains flexible and trustworthy ensuring the donations are kept safe. In addition, the DataNet data export to Excel ™ feature proves data integrity, with the intuitive reports module which provides transparent data records for achieving regulatory compliance.
The DataNet’s four alarm levels, SMS and email alerts, together with emergency night procedures all protect the blood components’ quality and integrity, minimizing error.
There are numerous benefits to both systems, MicroLite and DataNet, working under the same software: for example all the data is held in the one place and backup procedures can protect it. Staff only need to be familiar with one system, rather than multiple systems.
For more information about Fourtec data logging products please contact us.
Article courtesy of Fourtec.
