New insulation technology provides next‐generation containers for “iceless” and lightweight transport of RBCs at 1 to 10°C in extreme temperatures for over 78 hours

Abstract

An energy-efficient and lightweight container that maintains RBCs at 1 to 10 degrees C under austere environments for over 78 hours is now available. This container, known as the Golden Hour container (GHC), will facilitate transport of RBCs. The GHC will have additional applications (transport and/or storage of vaccines, other biologics, organs, reagents, etc).

Quality Assurance for Long Lasting Transports of Red Blood Cell Concentrates on Extreme Environmental Demand

“…If the recommendations of the Council of Europe [2] are applied, these time periods are reduced to 48 and 72 h. Additional investigations are planned with regard to the influence of the storage temperature on the usability of RBCs comparing 2, 6, and 10 °C over 49 days after the donation. The best performance of Rentas et al [6] using iceless and lightweight containers is directly comparable to ours for heat demand. Concerning surrounding coldness, they examined conditions down to -24 °C, and their results were significantly superior to ours (up to 78 h) due to temperature buffering capacity of their system in both directions.…”

“…For this reason, efficient comparative discussion on the presented results is hardly possible, except with regard to the work of Rentas et al [6]. Even their references do not include any other investigation on temperature stability of RBCs on their way to the recipients.…”

Precise Temperature Control of Donor Cornea Tissue With Reusable Passive Thermal Container

“…Subject to this added challenge, the container maintained the integrity of the RBCs between 1 and 10°C while exposed to 224 and 40°C temperature extremes. 10 By first measuring the thermal conductivity of our PTC vacuum insulation panels using the American Standard Testing Method C518 04 (Standard Test Method for SteadyState Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Heat Flow Meter Apparatus), we calculated the R/in (inch) value of the material using the formula: R/in = [1/(the thermal conductivity measurement)] 3 (thickness of material). The R/in value shows the ability of a material to resist heat transfer.…”

“…9 A study by the US Army for the improved temperature regulation in transport of blood products inspired our investigation into similar applications for human corneas. 10 For our study purposes, we evaluate the maintenance of strict temperature control-we seek to meet the needs of an international tissue sharing demand. It was our aim to compare thermal protection methods within current standards of shipping while respecting current standards of shipment.…”

Development of zein-based heat-management structures for smart food packaging

“…The development of energy storage systems in general and, specifically, phase changing materials (PCM's) included in the food packaging materials, could be a solution to buffer the temperature variations of the environment. PCM's are able to absorb or release energy during their melting/crystallization process and, as a consequence, they are able to increase the thermal energy storage capacity of the containers (Rentas, Macdonald, Houchens, Hmel, & Reid, 2004).…”