Hello,

Our emergency room has complained about the time involved in getting multiple units of FFP thawed in a trauma situation. They are actually willing to share the cost with us for a new thawing system. We currently have a Cyto-Therm III which is probably 15 years old. It takes every bit of 20 minutes to thaw 2 FFP, longer than that if there are more than 2 units to thaw. Could anyone recommend a unit which would thaw 6-8 units in minimal time?

Thank you very much.

Our last BB supervisor (she's gone now and we don't have a replacement) decided to get a microwave. It's supposively already bought, but we haven't seen it yet.

http://plasmathaw.com/pages/1/index.htm

http://www.arkbio.ca/

Helmer DH 8 does up to 8 units at a time.

We have the Helmer DH 8, that usually takes about 10 minutes for 2 units of FFP. Four units are closer to 12 minutes, I'd say. The thaw time is decreased a bit by the agitation, and it seems to hold a warm temp fairly well. We very rarely have a need for more than 4, so I'm sorry I can't help with that. I'm guessing it's better than the old units though!

Good Luck...

We use a Thermogenesis thawer (2 unit model) and get 2 units in 12-14 minutes depending on the volume of the unit. It doesn't seem to affect the thaw time whether you thaw 1 or 2. They also make a 4 unit model, but I don't know whether or not your thaw time would increase with more units. I don't think they make a bigger one.

We have had the Helmer DH 8 for several years and like it very much. They do make a smaller version (4 units). Although we rarely thaw more than 2 units at a time the DH 8 has been great on the occassions when we had patients for plasmapheresis that required 25 units daily for several months. It actually thawed 8 units at a time in about 20 minutes. It is easy to clean and requires little maintenance.

We've had Thermogenesis, Cytotherm and Helmer DH and the Helmer is the only one I would ever buy again. It's quick and sturdy and Helmers make equipment that lasts.

If you have a frequent need you could go to thawed plasma and keep it already thawed.

I agree with Dorie. THe Helmers are built like tanks. Our 4 bag Thermogenesis is still working. We finally gave up on our 10 bag Thermogenesis (it was newer than our 4 bag unit). The pump needed replacing every 8 months or so and it was a pain to empty, clean, and refill. We replaced it with two DH-8 Helmers and have had no problems.