I was wondering if anyone is currently monitoring the ambient temperature in their donor center. I am having trouble finding what are the acceptable ranges for ambient air. I had it orginally 20-24, but realized that we weren't compliant with this range. It was hard to control the temperature when you have small rooms, limited airways, and machines pumping out all this heat. ( We currently don't collect any blood products that are stored at room temp) Is 20-24 a realistic temperature range?

Any help would be appreciated. I am just not sure if I am heading down the right path?

thanks

stephanie

If there is no storage of products at RT, we define our ambient temp from the requiremetns of the equipment. I think our range is 70+20 F at 50+20% humidity. Our HVAC system keeps us in that range.

We monitor a small area of our donor center. We allow our platelet to rest on a counter for 1 hour before we place them in the platelet incubator / rotator. The room temp is maintained at 20-24. It's monitored by our REES system. The probe is in a bottle of glycerol - this helps buffer against quick temp changes. We also monitor the temp in our component processing lab where we process the platelets.

At our blood center, we can assess what is an acceptable temperature/humidity range for an area by asking a few questions.

1) Are blood products going to be stored or processed in that area? What is their acceptable storage/resting/processing range (refer to FDA, AABB, manufacturer ect...)

2) Are there any critical supplies or materials to be stored in the area? What is their storage range (manufacturer inserts)?

3) What are the acceptable ranges for instruments operating in the area (manufacturer operator manuals)?

4) Does the area need 24hr monitoring coverage (draw location only/blood, supplies stored there)? What then is the appropriate monitoring system (automated-Mack/Rees/manual-eye readable/chart recorder)? Does it need it immediate response (blood product moved immediately)?

Your range (and time requirements) is now established!

Once your needs are addressed, the hard part of vendor/system evaluation and cost analysis starts--from the physical plant improvements to monitoring and response requirements.

Have fun and good luck.

Ditto with Cliff. Same system.

<edited by admin>

There is no advertising in the forums.

There are plenty of opportunities to show off your products / services.

Product Reviews

Classified Ads

Links