Temperature Indicator for RBC Units

[Darren]

Thanks, jazzman. Does anyone here that uses an IR thermometer do daily QC on it? If so, how? Measure room temp and a cold unit?

[ANORRIS]

hemo temp II

[Sonya Martinez]

We switched from Safe-T-Vues to BT10s earlier this year and they are much better.  With the safe-t-vues we had problems with both nursing and blood bank staff placing their thumb or finger over the indicator and making it turn when in actuality the blood temp didn't change.  The BT10s are room temp storage, stick better, and don't have the issue with activating if someone puts there finger over it.  We've also found during our validation the BT10s are a lot more accurate and turn right at 10C where the safe-t-vues were activating at 11 or 12C.  Plus the BT10s are cheaper for us.

[James Spears]

On 11/8/2018 at 10:30 AM, Sonya Martinez said:

We switched from Safe-T-Vues to BT10s earlier this year and they are much better.  With the safe-t-vues we had problems with both nursing and blood bank staff placing their thumb or finger over the indicator and making it turn when in actuality the blood temp didn't change.  The BT10s are room temp storage, stick better, and don't have the issue with activating if someone puts there finger over it.  We've also found during our validation the BT10s are a lot more accurate and turn right at 10C where the safe-t-vues were activating at 11 or 12C.  Plus the BT10s are cheaper for us.

Are you doing that validation annually, with each shipment/lot, or is it one time?

[Guest]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 7:07 PM, DPruden said:

We validate our coolers for 6C and use 10C Safe-T-Vue's, under the assumption that if the unit is in the cooler, 6C is maintained, if it is out of the cooler it is in transport.  Haven't had any problems with FDA or AABB.  We tried using the 6C Safe-T-Vue indicators, but they changed before we could even issue the products sometimes.

Wow, surprised they excepted that just taking a unit out of the cooler (which ER and OR do a LOT), suddenly turns a unit from storage to transport??  For example, I went to pick up a cooler from the ER one day.  They had transfused 2 of the units.  Of the 2 left in the cooler, 1 of the Safe-T-Vue 6 monitors had turned red and the other was white. They admitted they had removed a 3rd unit from the cooler with the thoughts of possibly transfusing it, but decided not too.  But I would not say that this removal changed it from storage to transport for those few minutes.  I would say that unit was outside of the acceptable storage temperature and should be discarded.  Safe-T-Vue 6, though sensitive, work fine if applied appropriately and to a unit that is at an appropriate temp. to start with (so also doesn't work well once your refrigerator is up around 5C......so gotta watch for that also. 

Brenda Hutson

[AMcCord]

I was at a session at AABB a few years back when someone from the FDA stated that it was transport if the product was being carried to another facility.  It not, it was storage.

[DPruden]

I think the FDA has changed their position on coolers again, it seems like they flip flop on storage/transport every few years.

[ChrisH]

On 11/9/2018 at 11:43 AM, James Spears said:

Are you doing that validation annually, with each shipment/lot, or is it one time?

I also would like to know if anyone is validating each shipment/lot.  I am currently doing my initial validation.  Just trying to plan what else I need to do and how often.

[James Spears]

On 12/20/2018 at 11:51 AM, ChrisH said:

I also would like to know if anyone is validating each shipment/lot.  I am currently doing my initial validation.  Just trying to plan what else I need to do and how often.

I spoke to our sales rep and while I got the standard "you'll have to follow your facility's policies and procedures," she did say she didn't believe any of her other customers were validating beyond the initial shipment.