Blood is made up of a range of different components that constantly interact both with each other and the rest of our body.
Image Credit: B Medical Systems
White blood cells kill invading pathogens, red blood cells transport oxygen around the body, nutrients from our digestive system are transported by the blood flow, platelets prevent excessive bleeding in case of injury, and multiple proteins with different functions help cells to adapt to all different circumstances.
Chemical reactions are at the heart of all these interactions. These reactions are also often reliant on certain temperatures to occur: if these rise or fall, these molecules slow down, break and stop interacting with one another.
The ability to slow down chemical interactions is essential in the medical field. An example of this is that fresh plasma must be frozen to maintain the integrity of its chemical components. If plasma is left at room temperature, for instance, these molecules rapidly denature and render the sample ineffective for therapeutic use.
Immunoglobulins, a wide variety of proteins and clotting factors are some of these molecules, all of which are used in medical procedures – which is why the safe storage of these samples is so critical.
As it requires a stable long-term temperature of -27 °C, blood plasma is notoriously difficult to store. Special equipment - like medical freezers - is therefore needed to store it safely, but even just freezing it can be a challenge.
Fresh plasma needs to be completely frozen within six to eight hours from the time of collection to ensure sample quality and improved throughput. Furthermore, the faster the freezing process takes place, the more proteins can be stabilized.
The world-leading manufacturer and distributor of medical cold chain solutions, B Medical Systems, has created the CSF61, a Contact Shock Freezer, to achieve a high throughput of important proteins.
The CSF61 has been specifically designed to rapidly freeze blood plasma ahead of its long-term storage in freezers. Blood banks and blood transfusion centers can use the CSF61 to increase their yield, achieving the most efficient freezing times and improving throughput from one load to the next. These features, therefore, improve the quality of fresh frozen plasma (FFP).
Generally, the freezing times for 30 standard 350 ml bags from ambient temperature to -30 °C is 30 minutes or less, which ensures that the highest possible quantity of proteins and other components are preserved and then ready to be stored in Plasma Freezers.
An innovative freezing technology is featured in the CSF61, which facilitates a superfast freezing cycle using two cooling plates inclined at a 5° angle. Simultaneous freezing and defrosting can happen if necessary, thanks to the freezing of plasma bags on two levels operating independently: linear actuators self-adjust to apply the proper force against the bags.
The Contact Shock Freezer also prevents the crazing of the bags by not exposing the plasma to extremely low temperatures. This is also achieved as the Contact Shock Freezer allows for a homogenous cooling of the pouches despite the presence of bubbles inside them or uneven filling.
The product does not create cold air for the users and is easy to access. The product’s eco-mode and the low environmental impact refrigerant ensure a high-energy efficiency throughout operations as a result of its high-performance cooling system.
The CSF61 also features an integrated monitoring solution for complete traceability.
Healthcare workers can remotely monitor the status of the Contact Shock Freezer and the plasma bags being frozen at any time with the °B Connected software provided by B Medical Systems, allowing them to record every plasma bag via a bar code scanner and thus safely archive all the information.
All operations can be accessed through the use of a seven-inch touchscreen display, and a USB drive or SD card can be used to easily export all data.
Healthcare workers will then need to store the samples reliably in a medical Plasma Storage Freezer following the fast freezing of plasma via the CSF61. B Medical Systems enables medical professionals to safely store these blood components at a temperature of -27 °C or below (down to -41 °C).
A controlled air-cooling system for uniform and stable temperature distribution is featured in all the company’s products, which allows for a fast temperature recovery even in case of frequent door openings, and an automatic-defrost technology allows for a stable temperature inside the cabinet even during the defrosting cycle.
The Plasma Storage Freezers from B Medical Systems can also automatically switch off the evaporator fans to reduce the heat transfer during door openings. The freezers also have extended autonomy in case of power failures, which ensures the safety of all the samples stored inside them.
Furthermore, an extra layer of safety is provided by the audio-visual alarms and the °B Connected software to protect the integrity of the biologicals.
Medical professionals can successfully obtain and manage large quantities of high-quality frozen plasma by entrusting the freezing and the storage of blood plasma to B Medical Systems’ reliable Contact Shock Freezer and Plasma Storage Freezer solutions, which supports them in their efforts to deliver the best possible care to their patients.
About B Medical Systems S.à r.l
B Medical Systems S.à r.l (formely Dometic/Electrolux) is a global manufacturer and distributor of medical cold chain solutions. Based in Hosingen, Luxembourg, the company was founded in 1979, when WHO approached the Swedish manufacturing giant Electrolux to provide a solution to safely store and transport vaccines around the world. Across the 3 major business portfolios of Medical Refrigeration, Blood Management Solutions, and Vaccine Cold Chain, the company currently offers 100+ models. B Medical Systems’ major products include Laboratory Refrigerators, Laboratory Freezers, Pharmacy Refrigerators, Ultra-Low Freezers, Plasma Freezers, Contact Shock Freezers, Vaccine Refrigerators (Ice-Lined Refrigerators and Solar Direct Drive Refrigerators), and Transport Boxes. All products have integrated 24/7 temperature monitoring capabilities that further ensure that these products offer the highest level of safety and reliability.
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