Electronic Temperature Monitoring

[spavlis]

On a quarterly basis, we test our refrigerators AND our electronic temperature monitoring system for alarm activation.

 

I am wondering if testing our electronic temperature system is overkill or not needed.

 

For those transfusion services or donor services that use a electronic temperature monitoring system, do you perform quarterly alarm activation on it?

 

Do you perform any testing on the electronic temperature system?

 

Thanks

Stephanie

[goodchild]

That's the way we've always done it but I'm planning on changing it (one day..) after reviewing the verbiage of the applicable CAP checklist requirements.

 

**REVISED** 07/29/2013

TRM.42750 Storage Unit Alarms Phase II

All component storage units are equipped with an alarm system that is monitored 24

hours/day (in laboratory or remote), with documented alarm checks (for both low and high

settings) performed at least quarterly.

NOTE: The laboratory should be able to demonstrate how the alarm system works and that there

is a process to ensure a timely response to an alarm, including remote alarms.

Evidence of Compliance:

✓ Records of alarm checks documented at defined frequency

 

We use an automated electronic temperature monitoring solution. Naturally all of the storage units have built-in alarms as well. All of our blood/tissue storage units are in the same area as our technologists. We do a daily alarm check on the built-in alarms.

 

Probably a good idea to do an automated alarm activation check after calibration/upgrade/repair/new probe/etc but I don't think we need to waste our time with quarterly checks on the automated system, especially with how annoying it can be to do.

[tbostock]

Very tricky to do because of the alarm thresholds that we have set in our electronic monitoring system. So if we have it set to only alarm if there are 2 temperatures out within 5 minutes for example, then you have to allow your equipment to be out for that long to test it. Since this could compromise your products, you might have to move them to do the testing.

Some respond very quickly, and we have a corresponding "spike" on the graph electronically, some are much slower to respond, so we're still trying to figure out how to do this safely.

[Auntie-D]

We cover the probe with either ice for the low alarm and pop it in warm water for the high alarm - you don't need to remove stock or reagents then.

 

We cannot test the low alarm for the freezer but can it really go too cold?

[R1R2]

On a quarterly basis, we test our refrigerators AND our electronic temperature monitoring system for alarm activation.

 

I am wondering if testing our electronic temperature system is overkill or not needed.

 

For those transfusion services or donor services that use a electronic temperature monitoring system, do you perform quarterly alarm activation on it?

 

Do you perform any testing on the electronic temperature system?

 

Thanks

Stephanie

IMO - If you are using your electronic temperature system for alarm notification then you should test it quarterly.   If you are just using it to record temp then compare 1x per year with NIST. 

[goodchild]

IMO - If you are using your electronic temperature system for alarm notification then you should test it quarterly.   If you are just using it to record temp then compare 1x per year with NIST. 

 

Yeah.. our laboratory quality assurance person basically shut me down on any attempts to make things easier despite the fact that they agreed with the convenient literal interpretation I was attempting to apply for TRM.32750 and TRM.32850. Left too many things open for questions.

[R1R2]

Yeah.. our laboratory quality assurance person basically shut me down on any attempts to make things easier despite the fact that they agreed with the convenient literal interpretation I was attempting to apply for TRM.32750 and TRM.32850. Left too many things open for questions.

I never tell them anything