Treatment of discarded blood units

[fiza]

Hi Anyone,

As per to my knowledge regarding our subject I would like to take the pleasure to ask you that;

What is the best procedure practiced for discarding blood bags after transfusion?

Should they be autoclaved & discarded?

Or

Disinfected with 10% sodium hypochlorite for overnight & incinerated?

I hear experts saying that it is better to disinfect blood units for discarding by autoclaving.

Incineration is not recommended due to poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) content of blood bags.

If you support the fact that they should be autoclaved prior to disposal, what is the disposal procedure after autoclaving?

I would be pleased if you could make me clear about the above mentioned query.

Thanks in advance.

Sincerely

Fiza

[heathervaught]

We send all of our empty blood bags to a contracted regulated medical waste disposal company who uses an incenerator. http://www.stericycle.com/medical-waste-disposal.html -- they have a white paper on this site about selecting a biomedical waste disposal program.

[L106]

We also send all of our empty blood bags to a contracted regulated medical waste disposal company. (I don't know which one.)

[fiza]

Well guys, as you've said in most of the developed countries they either autoclave the bags for disinfection and dispose of them with contracted regulated medical waste disposal company.

But in small or undeveloped countries this facility might not be available. In these kind of countries how would you describe the following procedure to be.

1. Cut the blood bag into two half with a surgical Knife. Cut the tubing with a scissor.

3. The scissor can be disinfected in gulutaraldehyde ON.

4. Soak the bag in 10% Sodium Hypochlorite for overnight.

5. Don’t soak the needle and tubing as it will have less penetrability instead, incineration them. Do not use formaldehyde, it has irritant effects.

6. Dispose the disinfection solution into the sink.

7. Dispose the blood bag in municipal waste.

Regards

Fiza

[redstaff2003]

Well guys, as you've said in most of the developed countries they either autoclave the bags for disinfection and dispose of them with contracted regulated medical waste disposal company.

But in small or undeveloped countries this facility might not be available. In these kind of countries how would you describe the following procedure to be.

1. Cut the blood bag into two half with a surgical Knife. Cut the tubing with a scissor.

3. The scissor can be disinfected in gulutaraldehyde ON.

4. Soak the bag in 10% Sodium Hypochlorite for overnight.

5. Don’t soak the needle and tubing as it will have less penetrability instead, incineration them. Do not use formaldehyde, it has irritant effects.

6. Dispose the disinfection solution into the sink.

7. Dispose the blood bag in municipal waste.

Regards

Fiza

fiza

the sink should be connected to a sealed container or vault that will collect all the blood that have been soak in hypochlorite soln. blood bags can still be autoclave before disposal. In big cities there are scheduled days that contracted garbage campanies only collects medical wastes.

[fiza]

Yeah that's very true & I appreciate the answer