Be safe. Be compliant. Be assured that blood is safe with a glance.
Key Takeaways:
- The 30-minute rule for blood transfusions, established in the 1970s, aimed to prevent bacterial contamination and maintain blood cell viability, but modern healthcare environments face practical challenges in adhering to this rule.
- A time-bound system’s limitations include the potential for human error, inconsistencies in recording blood removal time, and a lack of real-time temperature monitoring.
- Monitoring technologies like HemoTemp®II indicators are recommended to enhance blood safety measures.
- HemoTemp II indicators offer accurate monitoring of an individual blood unit’s time and temperature history, providing continuous temperature monitoring.
- Modern technologies like HemoTemp II can optimize blood safety, inventory management, compliance with regulatory practices, and decision-making based on accurate data, reducing waste and improving patient care.
Blood transfusions are an integral part of modern medicine, providing life-saving treatment for a range of medical conditions. From emergencies like severe injuries and surgeries to chronic conditions such as anemia, cancer, and blood disorders, blood transfusions are essential for replenishing lost blood and supplying critical components like red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Patients with thalassemia, sickle cell disease, leukemia, and hemophilia rely on regular transfusions to manage their conditions and improve their quality of life.
Ensuring the quality and safety of blood products is paramount throughout the supply chain. Blood banks rigorously test, screen, and monitor blood products to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and to ensure the right blood type matches patients.
Proper storage and handling of blood products and maintaining traceability in the supply chain are crucial for delivering safe and effective transfusions. By prioritizing quality and safety measures, healthcare providers can continue to save lives and uphold the highest standards of care in blood transfusion therapy.
There are many potential risks, one of which is reliance on time-bound guidelines. In this article, we’ll explore how the 30-minute rule for red blood cells compares to modern, technology-driven visual monitoring.
The 30-Minute Rule
The 30-minute rule for blood handling during transfusions began in the 1970s. This guideline states that blood should be transfused within 30 minutes of being removed from refrigeration or the blood bank.
When created, there was no alternative to ensure blood safety. However, not every patient can be transfused within 30 minutes, resulting in thousands of blood units discarded.
These rules were meant to:
- Minimize exposure to room temperature. This is one way to prevent bacterial growth in the blood, which poses a risk of infection for the recipient.
- Prevent bacterial growth: Keeping the blood transfusion within the 30-minute timeframe reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, which can occur when blood is kept at room temperature for an extended period.
- Maintain blood cell viability: Blood cells are sensitive to temperature changes and can become less viable if exposed to room temperature for too long. Adhering to the 30-minute rule helps ensure that the blood cells maintain their effectiveness in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the recipient.
All well and good, except that following this rule in today’s complex healthcare environment is far from practical and faces issues such as:
- Logistics challenges: In busy healthcare settings, ensuring that blood transfusions are completed within the 30-minute timeframe is challenging due to factors such as transportation delays, staffing shortages, and competing priorities.
- Compliance issues: Healthcare providers may face difficulties consistently adhering to the 30-minute rule, especially in emergencies or when managing multiple transfusions simultaneously.
- Storage constraints: Limited storage capacity or resources in healthcare facilities can make storing and handling blood products difficult, potentially leading to deviations from the recommended timeframe.
Reports from the UK Blood Stocks Management Scheme say that about 10,000 units are discarded annually due to temperature excursions. In Egypt, the overall wastage was a whopping 41.9%, attributed to improper temperature management during transport.
While the 30-minute rule has been a longstanding standard, advancements in blood storage and transfusion technologies may offer alternative methods to maintain blood quality and safety beyond the traditional time constraints.
The limitations of a time-bound system
Relying solely on the 30-minute rule for blood safety has its limitations. These include:
- Maintaining a consistent and accurate record of blood removal time: Variability in recording the exact time blood is removed from cold storage can lead to inconsistencies in following the 30-minute rule. Without precise timekeeping, potential safety concerns can be overlooked.
- Potential for human error during blood handling procedures: Human error, such as miscalculating time or forgetting to adhere to the 30-minute rule, can compromise blood safety. In busy environments, distractions can lead to deviations from the intended protocols.
- Lack of real-time data on actual temperature conditions: Without continuous monitoring of temperature conditions during the blood handling process, ensuring that the blood is stored within the optimal temperature range is challenging. Fluctuations in temperature can affect the quality and safety of the blood products.
- Limited ability to identify and address temperature deviations: Relying solely on the 30-minute rule may not provide sufficient oversight to detect and address temperature fluctuations outside the designated window. This can increase the risk of compromised blood integrity and safety.
Additional safeguards are required to enhance blood safety measures. Implement automated tracking systems for blood removal time, train staff on proper handling procedures, incorporate real-time temperature monitoring technologies, and conduct regular audits. These measures, particularly monitoring technologies, mitigate the limitations of relying on a time-based rule.
Safeguard blood bags with SpotSee HemoTemp II
To ensure red blood cell (RBC) safety, you need a clear indication of temperature excursions rather than depending on watching the clock. HemoTemp II indicators offer an accurate history of both time and temperature.
HemoTemp II is a reversible/irreversible liquid crystal blood bag temperature indicator that provides the time and temperature history of the blood unit.
- After activation, the irreversible portion will change color from blue to non-blue as the blood temperature increases as time passes.
- Once the indicator has lost its blue color, it will not return to its original color even if the blood unit is re-cooled.
- These easily read strips assure the user of the time and temperature history of the unit.
The color of the activated indicator depends on product temperature, the time at that temperature, the sample size or mass, and the sample container’s heat transfer characteristics.
Because the color change of HemoTemp II indicators is affected by the same variables that affect the time/temperature-sensitive blood bag, these indicators monitor the temperature history.
Easy to use
The HemoTemp II blood bag indicators are attached to the outside of the blood bag, where blood bank staff can easily see and monitor them.
Suppose an indicator shows that a blood bag has been exposed to temperatures outside the recommended range. In that case, staff can take appropriate action to ensure the safety and quality of the blood product.
The reversible portion of the indicator provides continuous temperature monitoring. It is calibrated to display the internal core temperature of the blood between 1°C (33.8°F) and 9°C (48.2°F) under ambient conditions.
The irreversible portion of the HemoTemp II Indicator “flower” warns when the core temperature of the blood has exceeded approximately 10°C.
Stop counting the minutes
It’s time to embrace modern technology and stop looking at the clock. Implementing HemoTemp II for visual monitoring enhances blood safety far beyond the 30-minute rule:
- Get accurate and verifiable temperature data at a glance.
- Optimize blood bank inventory so you can take proactive action to maintain the optimal temperature to prevent spoilage.
- Decisions are made using data instead of potential guesswork – just how long has that bag been out of cold storage?
- Keeps you compliant with regulatory blood handling practices.
SpotSee: The Global Leader in Condition Indicators and Monitoring Solutions
Temperature changes can render RBCs unusable, compromising both efficacy and safety. SpotSee offers a range of monitoring solutions to fit every situation. Less spoilage means less waste of an increasingly precious resource.
Have questions, or are you ready to implement the blood monitoring solution that has the potential to save both lives and money? We’re happy to help. Simply reach out by completing this simple form, and we’ll get back to you.
