Why Use A Special Blood Bank Refrigerator To Store Blood Instead Of A Pharmacy Refrigerator?
The blood is a red viscous suspension composed of 45% blood cells and 55% plasma. Blood cells are composed of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Through the circulatory system, blood is in close contact with all tissues and organs of the body, participating in the body's respiration, transportation, defense, regulating the osmotic pressure of body fluids, and pH and other physiological activities, thereby maintaining the body's normal metabolism and the balance of internal and external environments. Whole blood and red blood cells must be stored in the range of 4±1°C. The main purpose of whole blood injection is to restore and maintain the body's oxygen-carrying capacity and blood circulation. If blood is not stored at 4±1°C, its carrying capacity will be greatly reduced.
The anticoagulant preservation solution in the blood bag provides the blood with nutrients during the preservation period and can prevent blood clotting. Only when red blood cells survive, that is, when they maintain their normal circulation in the body, can they carry and transport oxygen.
Another reason to store blood at 4±1°C is to prevent bacterial contamination. If the blood storage temperature exceeds 5°C, bacteria that accidentally enter the blood bag during collection may expand to the time of infusion, which may lead to life threats.
It is also very important to set the minimum temperature at 3°C. This is because red blood cells are very sensitive to freezing. If they are frozen, the cell membrane will rupture and hemoglobin will be released, that is, cytolysis. Infusion of hemolysis blood can also be fatal.
The blood tank produced by some irregular companies may not reach 4±1℃ due to technical reasons. We can check whether the product is qualified by the actual measurement of the thermometer. LABOAO is a professional manufacturer of medical refrigerators. The blood tank produced by it can fully meet this requirement. The digital temperature display is even more accurate to 0.1°C.
The temperature range of the medicine refrigerator is 2℃-8℃, and it should be able to work at 4℃. Why can’t it store blood? The reasons why medicine refrigerators and blood bank refrigerators are different are as follows:
1. Due to different storage items, the blood bank refrigerator's liner, air duct, evaporator cover, shelf and other internal materials are all made of stainless steel. However, the liner, air duct, and evaporator cover of the medicine refrigerator are made of plastic blister liner or cold plate spraying, and the shelf generally adopts the steel frame dipping process, which has a large cost difference compared with stainless steel.
2. There are differences in control accuracy. The blood bank refrigerator has extremely strict temperature requirements, with a temperature control of 4±1°C; while the medicine box has a temperature control of 5±3°C. So they have certain differences in the temperature control of the refrigeration system. Although they are all refrigerator, from a technical point of view, the technical difficulty of blood bank refrigerators is much greater than that of medicine refrigerator, so its price is much more expensive.
3. Alarm security. The blood bank refrigerator has a printing function, which can print out the internal temperature in real time to ensure product safety, and the audible and visible alarm system can continue to alarm for 48 hours. The medicine refrigerator has no corresponding printing function, and the audible and visible alarm system lasts for 8 hours. Therefore, the price of a blood bank refrigerator is more expensive than that of a refrigerator;
4. The anti-condensation function of glass doors is different. The glass door of the blood bank refrigerator generally uses electric heating film, while the medicine refrigerator uses heat reflection film, so the anti-condensation effect is different. From the perspective of cost alone, the price of a blood bank refrigerator is more expensive than a refrigerator;