mthomas

We use the Temp-Tale data logger for our long distance (sometimes as far as 5,000 miles) to monitor the temperature during blood transport. These devices are computer programmed to take the temperature at intervals. These intervals can be as short as every 30 seconds or as long as every 10 minutes. Once the delivery is complete the logger is returned and interogated on the computer giving a print-out of the complete temperature profile.

I agree that it is hard to disuade surgeons from requesting PAD, but the real answer is to educate them to use Intraoperative Cell Salvage. I have always called this "Green Blood" as it is esentially environmentally friendly. It has always seemed madness to me to suck up blood from the wound and then go to great lengths to dispose of theis "Hazardous Clinical Waste" while, at the same time, grabbing some poor sucker off the streets and bleeding him/her to provide an allogeneic unit for transfusion. Why not simply collect the shed blood, wash it and return it to the patient? Useful references, although a little old, are: Thomas MJG, Gillon J, Desmond MJ. Preoperative autologous transfusion. Transfusion. 1996;36(7):633-639. Desmond MJ, Thomas MJG, Gillon J, Fox MA. Perioperative red cell salvage. Transfusion. 1996;36(7):644-651. Thomas MJG, Desmond MJ, Gillon J. Preoperative autologous donation: what was the impact of the 1995 consensus statement? Transfusion Medicine. 1999;9(3):241-57. Desmond M, Gillon J, Thomas MJG. Perioperative red cell salvage: a case for implementing the 1995 consensus statement. Transfusion Medicine. 1999;9(3):265-8. Thomas MJG. Infected and malignant fields are an absolute contraindication to intraoperative cell salvage: fact or fiction? Transfusion Medicine. 1999;9(3):269-78. Phillips P, Gray A, Thomas MJG. An audit of autologous blood transfusion in the UK. Transfusion Medicine. 1999;9(3):284. Thomas MJG. Uncross-matched blood is unnecessary. Hospital Medicine. 2005;66(2):96-8