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Blood Banks and Blood Safety

BBBS - haiti roomtemp

The contents in this hybrid refrigerator at a hospital in Haiti were at room temperature because there was no propane or electric power. (Photo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

Key strategies for blood safety include ensuring consistent electricity and refrigeration to maintain blood supplies at blood banks.

In many developing countries, reliable power is rarely available. Access to grid power, especially for rural facilities, simply may not be available. This lack of power or lack of steady power jeopardizes the ability of blood banks to store safe blood and blood components. Whole blood or its component must be stored, without interruption at temperatures near or below zero degrees Celsius. Failure to maintain these conditions can result in the wholesale loss of blood.

Blood Products Storage Temperature and Shelf Life
Blood Products	Storage Temperature and Condition	Shelf Life
Whole Blood	2-6°C	28-35 days
Red Cells in Additive	2-6°C	42 days
Platelet Concentrate	20-24°C under constant agitation	5 days
Frozen Plasma	Below -30°C	365 days
Cryoprecipitate	Below -30°C	365 days

How can continuous power be provided to a blood bank?

All of the technologies and challenges discussed throughout this website with regards to providing reliable power to health clinics also apply to blood banks. These may include battery banks and inverter systems to provide power in times of blackouts and back up generation from diesel generators, solar panels or some combination of these technologies. Many countries have stand alone blood banks with a medium size load, making them an attractive candidates for on site renewable energy systems in cases where the grid power is non-existent or particularly unreliable.

What are the energy requirements of blood banks?

The energy requirement of a sample blood bank load is shown below. This particular facility was in Haiti, but it provides one example of the loads of typical equipment found in a blood bank:

Blood Bank Load Inventory
Area	Qty	Load	Watts Each	Hrs/Day		Watt-hours			Total Conn Watts
Area	Qty	Load	Watts Each	Day	Night	Day	Night	Total	Total Conn Watts
Grand Totals						13,710	11,018	24,728	2,707
Lighting
Laboratory	4	Fluorescent Lamps	40	8	-	1,280	-	1,280	160
Total Lighting						1,280	-	1,280	160
Equipment
Laboratory	0	CD4 Machine	200	-	-	-	-	-	-
	2	Heaters	100	4	-	800	-	800	200
	1	Precision Scientific	500	2	-	1,000	-	1,000	500
	2	Microscope	30	6	-	360	-	360	60
	2	Centrifuge	400	2	-	1,600	-	1,600	800
	1	TV	200	4	-	800	-	800	200
Total Equipment						4,560	-	4,560	1,760
Refrigeration
Laboratory	1	Refrigerator for Drinks	50	10	14	500	700	1,200	50
	0	Air Conditioner	1,000	10	-	-	-	-	-
	1	Back-Up Refrigerator	70	10	14	700	980	1,680	70
	1	Blood Bank Refrigerator	667	10	14	6,670	29,338	16,008	667
Total Refrigeration						7,870	11,018	18,888	787
Other
Office	0	Desk Top Computer	150	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total Other						-	-	-	-

What are some special considerations for blood banks?

As can be seen by the example blood bank load chart, the majority of the blood bank electrical load comes from refrigeration and air conditioning. Care should be taken to ensure that energy efficient, and properly sized refrigerators are used for each facility (see Refrigeration). Gas/electric hybrid refrigerators should be considered for facilities with intermittent power supplies. Air conditioning should only be used if absolutely required, and should not be connected to any battery back-up systems.

Additional Resources

These are links to external publications and Web sites that have information on issues related to providing reliable electricity and energy services at health facilities. USAID and Powering Health make no warrantee or guarantee regarding these external resources, and the organizations hosting these resources are solely responsible for their content.

The Blood Cold Chain

The Blood Cold Chain: Guide to the Selection and Procurement of Equipment and Accessories, World Health Organization, Nov 2002 (PDF 792K)

This is the first WHO publication dedicated to assisting managers of blood programmes to select and procure equipment and devices for the blood cold chain. This publication also aims to provide basic information on the blood cold chain and guidelines on its management.

PQS catalogue

Performance Quality Safety (PQS) Catalogue, World Health Organization, March 2013

This publication provides general information on the choice of equipment, together with specific technical and purchasing data for individual selected items.