Portable Refrigerators for OR Suites

[lehooke]

Does anyone out there use portable refrigerators to store blood in OR suites? We currently have one small refrigerator in a utility room in the OR between suites. We only allow one patient's blood to be stored in there at a time. It is most often used for open heart cases. They would like another portable storage unit for other cases. Does anyone use a particular model no.? Do they come with temperature monitoring systems? Are they battery or electrical powered? Thanks in advance.

[L106]

We have several under-the-counter blood refrigerators in the surgery and cardiovascular surgery areas. We purchased them several years ago from Jewett (who has since been sold to Thermo-Scientific), along with chart recorder, alarm system, & remote alarm system that rings in Blood Bank. The refrigerators are plugged into emergency outlets (ie: the power will flip over to the hospital generator in the event of a power failure) The alarm systems have battery backups in case of a power failure.

We've had a lot of problems, repairs, are part replacements on these blood refrIgerator, and I would not recommend them.

[lehooke]

Perhaps I wasn't clear with my last post. What I meant by portable was a refrigerator with casters, that could be wheeled freely into different OR suites during surgery. Does anyone use those? I know people use the coolers. I tried the credo coolers, but for our usage, they required a lot of pre-conditoning ,conditioning and extra documentation for each. i would rather just have a refrigerator that is both continuously monitored , and connected to a central alarm system. Much easier to comply with...

[tbostock]

There are companies that sell portable blood refrigerators (on wheels). I'm not a fan of refrigerators or coolers in remote areas (OR and ER), and I know every Joint Commission inspector that I have ever dealt with feels the same. I know, though, that sometimes it's a logistics problem; the BB is too far away from OR, so patient care has to be factored in. If you do have remote refrigerators, you must have a pretty tight process for removing/returning blood to the refrigerator.

[heathervaught]

We are a big fan of Helmer products. They do have a small "undercounter" refrigerator with a chart recorder. There is an option for casters.

http://www.helmerinc.com/iB105.aspx

I don't know how easily they roll around, or how long they would maintain temperature whilst unplugged. They are based out of Indiana, so I don't know how easy it would be to get a demo out in California...but you can always ask.

[lehooke]

I've been looking at the Helmer undercounter refrigerators and even though they have a temperature monitoring system with a back-up 2 hour battery, and a temp graph, when I spoke to the rep and told her how I was planning to use it , she said that she could not recommend it for that type of usage. The unit is meant to be stationary and plugged into the wall at all times, moveable casters or not. I am just trying to get a sense of what people are using for these scenarios. I will probably try to convince my director and the OR manager, that the best we can do is to have a second refrigerator in the OR, to be used for one patient at a time, as we do with the current refer that is up there for open heart patients. Sometimes the hoops they want us to jump through are not always in the best interest of the patient.

[heathervaught]

I have seen some "blood-safe" type refrigerators, where the blood bank would stock with units that are ready for multiple patients, then place the blood in the refrigerator. The refrigerator is programmed to know which units are for which patients. When one needs blood, the patient identifiers are entered into the refrigerator and it dispenses the correct unit of blood. I'm sure that they are pricey, but I would try to justify the cost compared to the costs incurred by the hospital if a patient is transfused with the wrong unit of blood.

[Mabel Adams]

I am almost sure someone on bbtalk once mentioned using fridges on wheels but I have yet to find the right search words to find the thread.

[Mabel Adams]

http://www.cbbsweb.org/enf/2003/bloodstorage_or2.html

Plus I did find Franklyn and Likewine99 on here state they use portable fridges.

I also got some hits on Google for "portable blood refrigerator".

[clmergen]

Franklyn posted a picture of his in "platelet storage outside the blood bank" thread from 2009.

[lehooke]

Thank you all for your replies. By the way, is there a way to "Thank" people with one click with this new format?

[bhayden]

We use the under-the-counter models, (Helmer makes one) and mount them on wheels for portability. We use them for trauma response, blood in OR, etc. We have 6 of them, and store them in the Transfusion Service. They get issued with the products for one patient only. The chart recorders can be added. The TS maintains and QCs each of them.

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

We use the under-the-counter models, (Helmer makes one) and mount them on wheels for portability. We use them for trauma response, blood in OR, etc. We have 6 of them, and store them in the Transfusion Service. They get issued with the products for one patient only. The chart recorders can be added. The TS maintains and QCs each of them.

I, perhaps, shouldn't say this on this site (but I have said before that the language differences between the UK and the USA throws up some strange differences in meanings), but, in the UK "under-the-counter" tends to mean where such things as pornographic magazines are sold!

I fully realise this is NOT what is meant here!

:):)

[John C. Staley]

I, perhaps, shouldn't say this on this site (but I have said before that the language differences between the UK and the USA throws up some strange differences in meanings), but, in the UK "under-the-counter" tends to mean where such things as pornographic magazines are sold!

I fully realise this is NOT what is meant here!

:):)

Malcolm, on this side of the pond, at least in my part of the country that's referred to as "behind the counter".