Ensure Quality Control During Storage And Transportation Of Blood Products With Safe-T-Vue® Temperature Indicators
Blood must be kept at the correct regulated temperature of 2-6°C in storage or 2-10°C during transport. Any deviation of this temperature range allows bacteria and contamination to take place. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that blood units have been kept within these temperatures when they arrive at their destination or are returned to storage. When blood units are dispatched, how do staff know that unused, returned blood has been maintained at the required temperature during transit and storage?
Zebra Safe-T-Vue® temperature-sensitive indicators provide a visual indication when blood products, plasma, and RBCs have reached or exceeded 6°C or 10°C.
Safe-T-Vue® Temperature Indicators by Zebra
The easy-to-use Safe-T-Vue® Temperature Indicators are heat-sensitive and easily adhere directly to blood bags. Safe-T-Vue® alerts users when blood products are exposed to potentially damaging temperatures. The indicators are a cost-effective, reliable, and simple way to promote quality for blood banks and transfusion services.
Problems With The Thirty-Minute Rule
There is debate over the best method of safely transporting blood products: using the 30/60-minute rule, or the Safe-T-Vue (STV) blood temperature indicator. This difference confuses blood bank staff.
The Thirty-Minute Rule states that red blood cell (RBC) units left out of controlled temperature storage for more than 30 minutes should not be returned to storage for reissue. (1)
The problem with the 30-minute rule is that even if the blood product is maintained at the correct temperature during transit, it can reach higher temperatures if the unit is removed from controlled or
temporary storage. This elevated temperature allows bacteria to grow more rapidly, increasing patient risk.
Another potential problem is that the temperature is not be monitored. Blood units maintained under the regulated temperatures that were left out for more than 30 minutes, could be discarded unnecessarily. Assessing that blood units haven’t been compromised due to temperature variations is a challenge for healthcare professionals who rely on the 30 minute rule.
Advantages Of Safe-T-Vue® Temperature Indicators
- Non-reversable– Safe-T-Vue indicates that a higher temperature occurred even if the temperature eventually returns to a lower level.
- Highly accurate– It has been validated to indicate true core temperature even when applied to the surface of the blood bag, giving users a reliable and accurate reading.
- Easy to interpret– Safe-T-Vue changes color from white to red when the whole blood, red blood cells and plasma, have reached or exceeded 6°C or 10°C.
- Removes the guesswork– Safe-T-Vue provides accountability during transportation and transit, meaning users can be confident of the temperature the blood product has been exposed to.
- Reduces waste– Whether blood products are being stored or transported, temperature variations can be easily identified at every stage, allowing units that have been maintained within their regulated temperature range to be placed back into storage for reissue.
To learn more about the Safe-T-Vue® Temperature Indicators from Zebra please call 888-891-1200 or email us to be connected to your local sales representative.
MED Alliance Group is a medical device distributor with more than 350 years of combined medical device sales and distribution experience. Dedicated to meeting the needs of its clinical customers and manufacturing partners, MED Alliance offers cost-effective, customized sales, logistics, and distribution solutions for products found in anesthesia/respiratory, blood/transfusion therapy, EMS/emergency room, interventional radiology/cath lab, iv/vascular, NICU/PICU and pharmacy.
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