validation of blood transport containers

[hughes]

Like to take a poll of those who have validated coolers, igloo containers, to satisfy aabb. Have you done it in a real transfusion scenario, following the transporter to the unit and taking temp or have you done it in a non-transfusion scenario, taking a unit out, putting it in an igloo and going to the floor to take temp when a patient was not being transfused.

Thanks

[adiescast]

We do it in a non-transfusion scenario and use cold saline bags to mimic the blood product (so that a validation failure does not result in loss of the blood product). We open and close the cooler to take the temperature hourly for 8 hours.

[Likewine99]

We do it in a non-transfusion setting, using AB pos packed cells just in case there is a problem. We don't feel bad wasting AB cells since they are rarely transfused anyway.

[L106]

We use our coolers for delivery outside of the hospital. Therefore, we validate them twice a year (hot summer and cold winter) and use "real life" situations. Example: Pack up an expired unit of donor red cells as we normally would in the cooler and go put the cooler outside on a very cold day and quickly open it and check and record the temperature every half-hour for 8 hours (or however long you want to use the cooler.) (I validated a new platelet cooler like this on a Saturday this winter by putting the cooler outside my back door......What we have to do for our jobs!)

[Eagle Eye]

We use expired units to do our validation.

L106---Could you please share your results?? How do you wrap platelet?

You gave me an idea on how to complete my validation under extreme condition...

[L106]

We wrap the expired plateletpheresis in an absorbent pad (like a diaper with pastic on the back), then put the wrapped plateletpheresis in a plastic bag before putting it in the cooler.