Posted January 12, 20223 yr comment_82847 How does everyone ensure that red cell units stay within temp while receiving them into the BB inventory? Do you designate a time allowed from removal from the shipping box to placement in the refrigerator? Do you take temps somehow? Do you document anything anywhere?
January 13, 20223 yr comment_82850 20 hours ago, pbaker said: How does everyone ensure that red cell units stay within temp while receiving them into the BB inventory? Do you designate a time allowed from removal from the shipping box to placement in the refrigerator? Do you take temps somehow? Do you document anything anywhere? Is there a new checklist item that is asking about this? Otherwise, I see no need to record this. We do not record the temp when it is out for antigen typing or any other tests. Why do it here?
January 13, 20223 yr comment_82851 We leave them in the shipping box and take only 5 or so out at a time, then directly into the refer.
January 13, 20223 yr Author comment_82853 There is no regulation that I know of. I had a tech ask the question. I know, back in the dark ages, when we labeled blood products by hand, we documented the temp when we took the batch out of the walk-in and the temp when we put it back in. And we actually labeled whole blood IN the walk-in.
January 13, 20223 yr comment_82854 I take units and place them in the refrigerator. Being an all paper BB, I fill out the paper forms and then compare w the actual units as the processing continues. I never have more than 6u out of the refrig at a time. My temperature study indicated that Leukoreduced rbcs reach 10C within 15 minutes of being out of the refrig so we make certain that they stay cold.
January 18, 20223 yr comment_82861 We take temps using an infrared thermometer of one unit in each box and document in our LIS (Cerner). In my 6 years at this position we've only have had one issue where blood was outside the 1-10C requirement, and maybe one other time for platelets outside 20-24C.
January 19, 20223 yr comment_82862 If the blood center packs per their SOP there should not be an issue. That being said I once opened a box of RBC and was surprised to find no ice, units were very warm. Units were immediately replaced, follow up was taken out of my hands but did involve photos and many phone calls over the next week. Edited January 19, 20223 yr by Ensis01
February 3, 20223 yr comment_82920 We use "cold blankets" that we place on a cart then cover the units with additional blankets while we work on them. The "cold blankets" are plastic sheets of liquid in little squares. We keep them in the refrigerator and use them at the bench as well as when logging in.
February 3, 20223 yr comment_82922 Years ago while visiting a blood collection facility in China, they had a refrigerated work bench, stainless steel kept at 4 degrees C. They also used open refrigerators like you see in the grocery store (for meat) which I thought was quite clever.
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