Helmer Scientific has gathered the top ten blood bank posts from 2020. Our goal is to provide you with educational content that is informative regarding the proper storage of blood products. Popular topics from 2020 include the storage and thawing of COVID-19 convalescent plasma, the urgent need for blood donations, and how the i.C3® Information Center helps support regulatory compliance.
HOW TO SELECT A FREEZER FOR CONVALESCENT PLASMA STORAGE
Convalescent plasma, or CCP, plays a critical role in offering hope to patients battling the novel coronavirus. For blood centers and hospitals, the ability to store CCP within the proper temperature range is essential to ensuring its viability. For convalescent plasma storage, it is important to think about what matters in the design of the freezer. For this reason, we have developed a…
HELMER SCIENTIFIC BLOOD BANK REFRIGERATORS & PRO LINE PLATELET STORAGE ACHIEVE AABB SCOPE RECOGNITION
In 2019 AABB launched the Standards-Compliant Product Evaluation (SCoPE) Program for vendors that serve the transfusion medicine community. The program was developed to recognize suppliers that demonstrate compliance with AABB Standards. The program is also intended to help vendors develop a better understanding of…
HOW TO SELECT A SYSTEM FOR THAWING CONVALESCENT PLASMA
COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma, or CCP, is being transfused as an investigational therapy for patients fighting the novel coronavirus. Convalescent plasma is a blood product that must be thawed in the same manner as other frozen plasma products, following AABB Standards in addition to normal hospital procedures and recommendations. For this reason, we have developed a…
MEET CAP TRANSFUSION MEDICINE CHECKLIST REQUIREMENTS WITH THE I.C3 EVENT LOG
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) released the 2020 edition of its Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists earlier this year. The CAP accreditation process is designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all patients. The 2020 edition of the CAP checklists includes a revision to the Transfusion Medicine Checklist requirement which addresses…
COVID-19 CONVALESCENT PLASMA: REGULATORY UPDATES AND RESOURCES
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) in August 2020. The guidance supports access to CCP transfusion by permitting the use of the current inventory of investigational CCP collected prior to the EUA, without retesting or relabeling. Subsequently, the FDA published a final guidance document providing…
PRO LINE PLATELET STORAGE: KEEPING PLATELETS SAFE WHILE SAVING ENERGY
To maintain viability, platelet products must be stored within a tight temperature range and with continuous gentle agitation. Pro Line Platelet Storage Systems from Helmer Scientific offer the precise temperature uniformity, constant agitation, and reliable performance that are critically important to blood banks and support…
SUPPORT BLOOD BANK COMPLIANCE WITH THE I.C3® INFORMATION CENTER
The i.C3® Information Center is a touchscreen user interface integrated into i.Series® refrigerators, freezers, and Pro Line platelet incubators from Helmer Scientific. A series of videos has been created to demonstrate the features of the i.C3® Information Center. The first video of the series is an overview that provides an introduction to the i.C3®. It highlights…
RECORD ALARM EVENTS WITH THE I.C3® EVENT LOG
It is essential to constantly control and monitor the temperature of blood products in order to preserve their integrity. An important feature of the i.C3® is the Event Log, which records all alarm events. The event log shows the temperature at which the alarm activated. This information can be…
BLOOD DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE BLOOD SUPPLY
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of many blood drives. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires have further disrupted collections. At the same time, hospitals are resuming elective surgeries and more patients require transfusions. Blood donations are essential to ensuring…
I.C3® DOWNLOAD FUNCTION GENERATES TEMPERATURE GRAPHS & EVENT REPORTS
The i.C3® supports compliance by monitoring the temperature inside a refrigerator, freezer, or incubator and generating alarms if the temperature rises above or falls below the acceptable range. In addition, the i.C3® stores temperature data and an event log. An important feature of the i.C3® is the ability to…
Helmer Scientific supports blood centers and hospitals, the patients they serve, and their efforts to keep the blood supply safe. We would like to express our gratitude to all blood donors and to the staff involved in collecting, processing, and transfusing blood therapies to treat patients and save lives. We look forward to bringing you up-to-date information on news, regulations, and blood bank cold storage in 2021. Make sure to subscribe to the Helmer BlueView blog to receive updates to your inbox.
