Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Information And Guidelines On Reusable Blood Warmer

By Rosella Campbell


Blood warming is a standard practice in the medical field nowadays. This is given by the fact that this red liquid is kept refrigerated in storage, probably in a reusable blood warmer, until is needed to be used in transfusion. These warmers are recommended in these situations as well as in some others. Medical staff should take the specific medical need of the patient into consideration, and also adapt to conditions and outside factors when starting the transfusion.

Use of warming devices for the transfusions is appropriate in cases of resuscitation when rapid transfusions are needed. A patient might fall into hypothermia from administration of fluid that is too cold. Medical professionals are urged to avoid this situation at all times.

If the volume to be administrated exceeds 25%, medical staff should use the warming device prior to transfusion. It is highly probable that more units might be needed in such situations, and using the device will aid the fast transfusions required.

Patients that have cold agglutinins also need transfusions with warm blood. In cases that involve neonates, treatment with special care should be considered by the medical staff as well. Patients that might be have high risk of cardiac dysfunction from transfusions, as well as children or elderly patients, should benefit of the same amount of attention and extra care as patients previously mentioned.

In situations that require this red liquid to be warmed, medical staff should only use professional equipment. Medical warming devices normally have an attached visible thermometer. They also need to be equipped with a functioning audible alarm that can alert the staff in case the temperature goes beyond 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 is mandatory every 12 months, and it must be carefully monitored. If malfunctions occur, the devices can become extremely dangerous. If the temperature of this vital fluid exceeds 41 degree celsius, the medical staff should immediately inform the blood bank.

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.

Professional warming devices can process all sorts of standard infusions. A backup battery is included, and the devices are portable and light-weight. Completing setup takes about 45 seconds, and they are to be disposed when the transfusion is over.

Nowadays, the medical staff can use disposable fluid warmers (blood and IV fluids), all thanks to technology which has evolved immensely in the medical industry. Thermiflow fluid warmers, the most recently developed disposable devices, are self-powered medical machines. They are activated automatically when exposed to the atmospheric air, and can offer changes in temperature of 10 degree celsius with a 40 mL/min flow rate.




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