Blood components and products are extremely precious. They are donated by voluntary non-remunerated donors whose altruistic aim is that their blood will benefit someone in need. As ‘stewards’ of blood we all need to ensure that the best use is made of these gifts and that they are not wasted.
This section provides advice to those who hold inventories of blood components and products to help ensure that waste is minimised through the development of policies and procedures that ensure appropriate storage and handling, inventory management, and that contingency plans are developed.
Storage
Blood components and products must be stored within the temperature range specified for that particular component or product. Information on the correct storage of each component type is available from the Storage and Handling section of the Blood Component Information 2007. Fractionated plasma products must be stored according to the information on the product packaging or the product insert.
Maintenance of devices for the storage of blood and blood products
The Australian Standard for Medical Refrigeration Equipment – For the Storage of Blood and Blood Products (AS3864) specifies the requirements for refrigerators and freezers used for the storage of blood and blood products. It details the construction and performance requirements as well as the instrumentation and temperature measuring apparatus including recorders, sensors and alarm systems. The standard also sets out the user-related functions of performance testing, calibration, maintenance, cleaning as well as the various temperature records that must be maintained.
Much of the maintenance can be performed by hospital or laboratory staff; however, there are several companies in each state who can maintain fridges and freezers under contract. When selecting an external contractor, it is recommended you are satisfied that they understand and follow the AS3864 standard.
Records
Records of refrigerator maintenance must be kept for the life of the machine plus 3 years. There are some simple guides to maintaining your fridge along with a monthly schedule sheet for recording temperatures available from the BloodSafe section of this website. You may freely use these as long as the BloodSafe logo and attribution is maintained on them.
Contingency Plans
Plans should be developed and documented that set out the actions to be taken in the event of a refrigeration failure. These plans should detail the checks to be performed, people to be contacted, the availability of alternate storage facilities and the time frames in which these actions must occur.
Transportation of blood components and products
Blood components and products are usually transported under the same temperature conditions as they are stored. ARCBS uses cardboard boxes with thermal insulation inserts and various configurations of frozen and chilled coolant packs in order to maintain the correct temperature for transporting red cells, platelets, frozen plasma components and fractionated blood products.
These transport boxes have been validated by ARCBS, for various transport times and environmental temperatures. These validations ensure that the contents of the boxes are maintained at the correct temperature for the duration of the anticipated transport time.
Where shipments may come close to the validated limits of these boxes, ARCBS may use a data logger to continually record the internal temperature, so that in the event a shipment has been in transit for more than the validated time, you can be assured that the contents of the box have remained within specification. Where the data logger shows that the temperature specifications have been exceeded, ARCBS can analyse the data and make a judgement on the suitability of the contents for use.
Many laboratories use the ARCBS shipper for transporting blood and blood products between laboratories and hospitals. When doing this, you should ensure that they are packed using one of the validated packing configurations. Where other shippers are used to transport blood and blood products, it is recommended that the shipper is validated for the appropriate time and conditions.
For hospitals without a laboratory on site and who wish to return unused blood or transfer the blood with the patient to another hospital, it is recommended that you consult with your transfusion service provider and ask for instructions on packing the component/product.