(Image source: B Medical Systems)
World Blood Donor Day aims to raise awareness of the global shortage of blood donations and increase efforts to attract new donors. A specialist in medical cold chains is therefore forecasting a significant increase in demand for the transport and storage of blood and blood products for today’s World Blood Donor Day. With the decline in blood donations, it’s more important than ever to use the right equipment to keep donated blood safe for routine medical procedures and emergency care.
According to the German Red Cross (DRK), just under three percent of the population donate blood on a regular basis. In addition, around 100,000 active blood donors throughout Germany retire each year for reasons of age or because of illness. Accidents, childbirth and chronic illnesses are just a few of the situations in which a blood transfusion can save a life. Although the situation with the most common blood groups is not yet worrying, the DRK blood donation service points out that the situation is critical for some blood groups. However, the mobilization around the war in Ukraine and the lifting of the last hygiene measures due to Covid last year give hope for an increase in donations.
Blood products are highly sensitive biological substances and cannot be stored in standard household refrigerators. Red blood cell concentrates in particular must always be stored between 2°C and 6°C. This is a very narrow temperature range. Medicines, for example, tolerate a cooling temperature range of 2°C to 8°C. The storage temperature is therefore extremely important and requires special medical cooling solutions. Household refrigerators are not suitable for storing blood because the temperature difference between the lower and upper compartments is too great. In addition, the compressor in a domestic refrigerator creates vibrations that can cause hemolysis (the breakdown of red blood cells). The use of suitable equipment is therefore absolutely necessary when storing red blood cells.
Marnick Dewilde, B Medical Systems Chief Sales Officer, comments: “The shortage of blood donations during the Covid pandemic has caused many healthcare professionals to consider the reliability of the blood supply. Now that the pandemic is over, several countries are focusing on measures to ensure self-sufficiency by encouraging local donations and investing in necessary infrastructure. We aim to support these efforts with our trusted portfolio of blood management solutions to ensure the safety of blood and blood components throughout the supply chain.”
B Medical Systems offers a wide range of blood transport and storage solutions. The portfolio includes five passive boxes with optional cooling elements and one active unit powered by a compressor, as well as refrigerators specially designed for storing blood, ensuring perfect conditions. In addition, the company offers plasma freezers and ultra-low freezers for storing blood plasma, and contact blast freezers designed to rapidly freeze plasma to ensure the highest recovery of critical coagulation factors.
These innovative solutions, specially designed for blood banks and blood transfusion centers, offer high reliability and safety and can also be equipped with the monitoring solutions offered by B Medical Systems. All products offered meet the highest safety standards for end users and patients and are classified as medical devices (class IIa) according to the European Medical Device Regulation.
Image source: B Medical Systems
B Medical Systems is a global manufacturer and distributor of medical cold chain solutions. Based in Hosingen, Luxembourg, the company was founded in 1979 when WHO approached Electrolux to provide a solution for the safe storage and transport of vaccines around the world. The company offers over 100 products in the three main business areas of Vaccine Cold Chain, Medical Refrigeration and Blood Management Solutions. B Medical Systems’ major products include vaccine refrigerators (iced and solar direct drive (SDD) refrigerators), laboratory refrigerators, laboratory freezers, pharmacy refrigerators, ultra-low freezers and transport solutions. B Medical Systems products are used in more than 140 countries and have an installed base of more than half a million devices worldwide. B Medical Systems has long been a trusted partner of global humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, Red Cross and others and has extensive experience working with health ministries, hospitals, research institutes, universities and blood transfusion organizations around the world. B Medical Systems is part of Azenta, Inc. and has offices in the US and India.
To learn more about B Medical Systems, please visit www.bmedicalsystems.com
company contact
B Medical Systems
Christian Fabricius
Hermann-Weinhauser-Str. 73
81673 München
+49 (0) 89 99 38 87 31
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HBI Helga Bailey GmbH – International PR & MarCom
Christian Fabricius
Hermann-Weinhauser-Str. 73
81929 81673
+49 (0) 89 99 38 87 31