Learn More About Reusable Blood Warmer

By Margaret Snyder


It is obvious for donated blood to be refrigerated if it is not transfused to a patient after it has been donated. This is because if it is not done so, there is a high risk of it getting spoilt or dead. Therefore, this means the temperature has to lower down in a range that can be harmful to the body. In fact, when a patient is infused with this fluid when it is very cold he or she can get conditions like arrhythmias, shock or hypothermia. Therefore, as a way of reducing and eliminating these risks, reusable blood warmer provide the required and acceptable temperatures on the fluid prior to or during transfusion process.

They are classified in three categories following the technology or technique used to provide heat. They include dry heat that uses hot air, water bath devices that use hot water as a heating medium and lastly the countercurrent machines which use electric power to provide heating. The process of raising the temperature is usually done in the cabinets before being transfused into the patient or in line during the transfusion activity.

Once you raise the temperature to the one required which is thirty-seven degree Celsius, you transfuse the fluid into your body since when you don't do it, it will naturally cool down to where the temperature was initially. Additionally, it can provide heat without interfering with the living cells like WBC and RBC.

Nevertheless, they are able to provide heat and warmth to this fluid without affecting the functioning and structure of living cells like white and red blood cells as well as other cells. These devices are therefore important and are usually used during transfusion of large amounts of blood such as half or above half of the whole body volume. They also play important role in providing the necessary temperature when transfusion is to be done in a rapid manner.

However, you need to consider specific things before you administer the process to the patients who are neonates, elderly, pediatric, as well as those who have cardiac dysfunction and chronic infections. You need to operate the device before you start the entire exercise since it cannot be switched on, and on the other hand it will provide the temperature you require.

These devices are advantageous since the patients can acquire the body temperature which is necessary and the side effects such as the cold or low temperature get eradicated. Moreover, you do not have to dispose of the device together with the storage and bags. You can use again and again. You only need to fix the device in a body, or a bag in case of countercurrent and then switch it on and start operating.

However, it has various disadvantages such as temperature maintain technology or failure. You can only prevent the heat loss by current warming, but you cannot be able to make the patient warm. Therefore, you need to use other methods such as blankets, warming, as well as pads as another alternative or remedies to conditions such as hypothermia.

Infusing warm fluids in the bloodstream does not necessarily mean that the body temperature will rise. They are just remedial ways of providing warmth.




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