Donated blood saves lives every single day, and is a lifeline for patients undergoing both emergency and long-term treatment. However, blood cannot be stored indefinitely, even if kept in cold storage, so a robust and reliable system of temperature monitoring is vital to safeguard recipients of donated blood.

The importance of blood bank temperature monitoring should not be underestimated. Because of the high risk of contamination and infection, strict regulations are in force regarding the storage of blood products, namely The Consumer Protection Act and The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations. Under these rules, blood must be stored only in designated Blood Bank Refrigerators and should be removed from temperature-controlled storage for a limited time only.

Why Monitoring The Blood Bank Refrigerator Temperature Matters

Click here to read more on the regulations of blood bank safety.

The most significant risk posed by incorrectly stored human blood is the growth of harmful bacteria. Blood is an excellent host for bacteria, particularly at warm temperatures, so strict measures are necessary to minimise bacterial growth, including:

• Storage between 2°C and 6°C is essential, and the temperature of the fridge should be constantly monitored.
• Blood should be stored for no more than 35 days from donation and must be safely and legally disposed of after this time.
• When blood is required for use, it should be removed only one unit at a time to prevent unnecessary exposure to room temperature.
• If more than 30 minutes passes since blood has been removed from the fridge, the risk of bacterial growth makes it unsafe to use.

Why does this matter? The contamination of blood with bacteria is the largest cause of death from transfusions. Patients who require blood transfusions are frequently suffering from life-threatening conditions and may have compromised immune systems, so any exposure to a serious blood-borne infection poses a high risk of irreversible complications, including death. Consequently, the correct storage of blood is essential, with temperature data loggers an important tool for ensuring that blood is kept in optimum conditions.

How Temperature Data Loggers Can Safeguard Patient Safety

At Signatrol, we supply an extensive range of temperature data loggers for use in the medical industry.

Maintaining a manual blood bank refrigerator temperature chart is time-consuming and, if medical staff are rushed off their feet, prone to errors. As bacteria thrive as soon as the temperature starts to rise, it is imperative that immediate action is taken to protect vital blood supplies if a storage problem arises.

Our temperature alarming data loggers constantly monitor the climate of blood bank refrigerators and maintain an accurate record, so that any change in temperature is automatically flagged and staff can take instant action to solve the problem.

Contact Us For More Information

To find out more about our temperature data loggers, please get in touch today on  01684 299399 or send us a message.

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