Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Guidelines And Tips On Reusable Blood Warmer

By Rosella Campbell


When blood is kept refrigerated in storage until it is used in transfusion, it is a common practice in the medical field these days to use warming. A reusable blood warmer is recommended in various situations such as this. The medical needs specific to the individual patient, along with outside factors, should be taken in consideration by the medical staff when making decisions about administering this red liquid.

It is appropriate to use warming equipments for transfusions in situations of resuscitation when quick transfusions are needed. Administrating this vital fluid that is too cold can induce hypothermia in a patient. It is highly recommendable to avoid this kind of situation as much as possible.

A warming device is also needed when transfusing this life-saving fluid to patients that have cold agglutinins disease. It's also required if the patient is a newborn, special care and consideration should be taken for the delicate nature of the body. The same attention must be made to patients with high risk of cardiac dysfunction, geriatric, or pediatric patients.

When warming is required, medical staff must use specially designed devices. Technicians should be able to access a visible thermometer, and an audible and perfectly functioning alarm must be available in case the temperature gets higher than 41 degree celsius.

Medical staff must only use certified equipment that offers specific features when warming is required. A visible thermometer must be attached at all times to these medical warming devices, and must also contain an audible alarm that has to be functioning and raise attention if the temperature exceeds a value higher than 41 degree celsius.

Professional warming equipment can offer several advantages. They are practical, and can be used in multi-purposed cases like warming this vital fluid and also transferring IV fluids. They have a flow rate between ~2-150 mL/min, can easily reach temperatures of 38degree celsius, and have heaters that automatically adjust blood temperature when needed.

Maintenance of these devices should be done every 12 months, and should be carefully monitored. If proper care is disregarded and the device malfunctions, it can become extremely dangerous when the blood is needed most.

Theatres, ASCU, maternal-fetal medicine, nurseries, 6B nurseries and 6D PICU are all locations where these medical warming devices can be found. When the medical staff uses these devices, they have to write down the operating temperature. Again, blood transfusions are recommended only by using these devices.

All sets of standard infusion can be processed by professional warming devices. They offer a backup battery, light-weight, and portable. It takes about 45 seconds to complete the setup, and they are disposable when the job is completed.

The technology in the medical industry has evolved greatly, and now the disposable fluid warmer (blood and IV fluid) can be readily used by medical staff. These disposable warming fluids and blood devices, also referred to as thermiflow, are self-powered. Thermiflow devices can be automatically activated when exposed to the atmospheric air, and can offer a temperature increment of 10 degree celsius with a flow rate of 40 mL/min.




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