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Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Blood Bank

What is the US Blood Supply Chain?

If you’ve ever donated blood before, maybe you are aware of the steps in the blood supply chain. The truth is, a lot goes into the process of getting blood from donor to transfusion patient. From an individual donating blood to testing and processing procedures, to transportation and transfusion logistics, there are many factors and steps in the blood supply chain within the United States. Blood is in high demand, as one in seven people entering a hospital end up requiring blood. This high need for blood, combined with the fact that only six to seven percent of people are universal donors (meaning they have type o negative blood), creates the necessity for an efficient and productive supply chain process.

Donating Blood

There is no substitute for human blood, and donors are incredibly generous in helping those whose lives depend on blood transfusions. After a donor makes the decision to donate, they need to be screened to ensure that eligibility requirements are met. In order to ensure the safety of the donor and the receiving patient, meeting these requirements is imperative and dependent on the donation type. Once a donor is screened for eligibility, they are ready to donate. This process varies depending on the type of donation. Whole blood, plasma, and platelet donations are all options for donors as long as they are eligible, with whole blood donations being the most common.

Preparing Blood

The donated blood is sent to blood centers and laboratories to conduct processing and testing. Donated blood needs to be processed to separate the blood into transfusable components such as red cells, platelets, and plasma. These components and further processed and packaged as units. Several tests are performed within processing to confirm blood type and test for any abnormalities or infectious diseases. 

After passing testing and processing, units are labeled and stored. Depending on the blood component, units are stored differently. There are specific similarities and differences in how components of blood are stored and transported.

Transporting Blood

When units are ready, they move into the transportation process and are moved to hospitals or other medical providers that will conduct the transfusion. When transporting units, blood products must be stored in specific temperature conditions, and extra steps must be taken to ensure the optimal temperature ranges for the unit are maintained throughout the transportation process. This typically involves specific containers and monitoring of products. 

Units also have different shelf lives, blood at forty-two days, platelets at five days, and plasma at up to a year if frozen properly. Regardless of shelf life, all of these products are recommended to be transported in less than twenty-four hours. Thanks to transportation services such as Medi-Ops, air and ground transportation options make these time and transportation constraints more than possible to accommodate. Hospitals and large medical facilities typically have blood in proper storage and on-site. A continuous supply is ensured so these facilities always have what they need. However, emergencies do arise, and sometimes an emergent call for more blood products is necessary.

Typically, additional safety testing is done upon the unit’s arrival at a facility to provide optimal care to patients. In some cases, additional testing and processing of the unit are required for specific patients.

Transfusion Process

The last stage of this whole process is the actual transfusion. Patients are identified and have blood compatibility tests to confirm their safety and health. While multitudes of individuals receive blood, transfusions can help patients struggling with cancer, trauma, sickle-cell, burn victims, and those with chronic diseases. Patients receive the transfusion while being closely monitored by medical professionals. Transfusions can involve a patient receiving whole blood or a specific component, depending on the needs of that individual. These other transfusable components involve red cells, platelets, plasma, cryo, and granulocytes. There are advantages to receiving transfusions of any or all of these components depending on the condition and treatment plan of the patient. Post-transfusion protocols are set in place as well so the medical team and patient can stay in continuous communication for follow-ups. 

Research

Another more behind the scenes portion of this process is research initiatives and testing programs. Medical innovators are continuously testing and researching different uses of blood and blood components to further pursue medicine and future solutions. Research facilities, universities, and medical organizations are constantly looking for new approaches and treatments using blood and transfusion processes. Blood research is always interesting and inspires hope for future medicinal solutions. 
Every two seconds, an individual is in need of blood. The number of logistics and steps involved in the blood supply chain process is crucial in saving lives across the nation. Donating blood is also extremely important for hospitals and medical organizations to continue helping patients in the best ways possible. If you are considering donating blood, find a place near you and help countless individuals today! The process for the donor only takes about an hour from arrival to departure. Donating blood is an incredibly generous accomplishment, and you can inspire your friends and family to do the same.

Human blood in storage bags
Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Blood Bank, Courier Services

Blood Versus Plasma Storage & Transportation

Every year in the United States and Canada alone, 4.5 million people need a blood transfusion. The medical needs of these millions of people create a need for significant amounts of blood to be donated, stored, transported, and transfused on a daily basis. Each of these processes has specific requirements and standards in order to safely and effectively retrieve, store and send blood across the country. When storing and transporting blood and its components, it’s vital to understand the similarities and differences between the standards each component requires. Plasma (which makes up 55 percent of blood), as well as whole blood, are both common in types of patient transfusions, however, each has different storage and transport requirements. 

Blood V.S. Plasma

Whole blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Blood is stored in refrigerated environments with a shelf life of 21 to 35 days. Blood can be used in its whole form or have different components extracted after a blood draw depending on the medical need and intended use of the unit of blood. In order to acquire blood necessary for medical procedures, eligible individuals willing and ready to donate blood are essential. This donating process involves a medical professional inserting a sterile needle into the donor’s arm and completing a blood draw. An individual donating whole blood will usually give about a pint of blood, which takes 8 to 10 minutes to collect. The blood donation will be kept on ice until it is transported to a processing center where multiple tests are conducted on the donator’s blood to determine blood type and confirm that there are no diseases or irregularities within the donated unit. Once determining the donation is viable, the blood is packaged and properly stored until the time comes to distribute blood to a hospital or medical institution. Blood donations are used for surgeries, traumatic injuries, cancer treatments and so much more. In the United States, an individual is in need of blood every 2 seconds, so donating blood is an incredible act of service. One pint of blood (one donation!) can save up to three lives! Interested in donating? Learn more about the donation process and what you can do here!

In whole blood, red and white blood cells, as well as platelets, are suspended in a yellowish liquid called plasma. Plasma is essential to the body in maintaining blood pressure, supplying blood clotting proteins, and is also important for immunity and electrolyte transport. In order to extract plasma from other blood components, the liquid (plasma) and cells must be separated. When an individual chooses to donate plasma, a blood draw is conducted, similar to a whole blood donation. However, the key difference in this donation process is that the blood drawn is filtered through a high-tech machine that extracts plasma for collection and then sends red cells and platelets, along with saline, back into the donor’s body. This process takes longer than a whole blood donation, averaging about an hour and fifteen minutes. Once collected, plasma goes through a freezing process to store it properly. Plasma transfusions are conducted in cases of cancer treatment, burn victims, liver failure, and those that have experienced severe trauma.

3 Similarities in Blood and Plasma Storage

  1. Temperature Maintenance – Blood and plasma products must be stored in specific temperature conditions to properly preserve the product. This goes for storage as well as transport. When a product is in transport, extra measures must be taken to ensure that optimal temperature standards are being maintained.
  2. Time – When transporting blood and plasma, time is a huge factor. While these two products have different shelf lives, both of them should never have a transportation time of over 24 hours. Medi-Ops’s ground and air transportation services have created a standard of efficient and time-friendly transport in order to excel under these standards.
  3. Equipment – Unmonitored and ill-constructed equipment can be detrimental to the storage and transportation process of both blood and plasma. A careful eye and assurance of proper procedures are essential in cases of handling these medical products. 

3 Differences in Blood and Plasma Storage

  1. Temperature Requirement – While temperature maintenance is a similarity in both blood and plasma storage, the requirements for each are different. Blood units require refrigerated storage at 2 to 6 degrees Celsius. Plasma, once collected, must be flash frozen at -70 degrees celsius before being transferred to storage at -30 degrees celsius. These temperatures are imperative in maintaining both products.
  2. Shelf Life – In terms of shelf life, blood and plasma are drastically different. After extraction and proper storage, blood units have a shelf life of up to 35 days. In contrast, plasma can last up to a year in its frozen state. However, once thawed, plasma has a short shelf life of 5 days, depending on the plasma product.
  3. Container – Due to the difference in temperature, the type of containers used during transport is important when moving blood or plasma. Specifically designed blood transport boxes are most common for moving blood units from one location to another. Insulated containers with ice packs that can maintain the specific temperatures required to preserve blood during transport can also be used. When transporting plasma,  insulated containers that can support dry ice or a substantial amount of wet ice are necessary to keep the product in its ideal frozen state.

All in all, blood and plasma are used daily in the medical field and units are in constant need of transport. Although having their fair share of similarities and differences in the donation, storage, transportation, and transfusion processes, these products require specific attention to storage and transport details. The way Medi-Ops accommodates all of these specifics, safely transporting a variety of medical products and specimens, including plasma and blood, ensures consistent, quality service. When it comes to life-altering circumstances, the efficiency and quality of medical storage and transport are of the utmost importance.

Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Blood Bank, Courier Services, Flight Services

Next Flight Out (NFO) White Paper

Last weekend, one of our blood banks in Denver, Colorado required us to transport blood to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. Typically a 5h41m transport, mudslides in Colorado had caused a variety of road closures between Denver and Colorado, increasing transport times to almost 7 hours. This would have bumped the transport price to over $800. Given the ramifications of the patient who needed blood, we needed to find another option. 

As an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC), designated by the TSA, DHS, and FAA, Medi-Ops is honored to be able to provide Next Flight Out (NFO) services for our clients. Utilizing NFO allows us to ship blood, organs, and other human specimens via commercial airlines and our private network of operators. This service allows us to save even more lives while lowering costs for our clients.

Instead of driving the blood, we evaluated multiple flights and their cost effectiveness, while also considering time implications. Including the flight (scheduled through our NFO abilities), and the ground transport costs, we were able to lower the cost to 43% of the original ground transportation. We were also able to save hours of time, benefiting the patients in Grand Junction, and increasing access to care. 

This service is often a fantastic alternative to longer transports of a variety of time requirements. Because we are an IAC, you can contact us to verify a known shipper. You also will have access to our 24/7 dispatch center, our unique algorithms, our private network of operators, and cost savings of this method of transport. We are also able to support your organization in its process of becoming a known shipper, or we can help ship unknown cargo.

Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services

Saving Lives, One Transport at a Time: Lights and Sirens Courier

Medi-Ops is the most innovative courier service because we provide an option for your every transportation need. Often, blood, surgical supplies, organs, etc., need to be transported faster than a STAT order! This is why we offer lights and siren emergency transportation. Emergency medical courier transportation is a new and upcoming field but, we have been offering this service for years. 

When you place an emergency order, we activate one of our emergency units which operate under very strict guidelines; similar to those police departments use. Given our relationship with Colorado State Patrol, we are able to utilize traffic law exemptions to get your specimen or supplies where they need to be, as fast as possible! This service is great for hospitals/medical centers, as well as organ and blood banks. Emergency courier, with lights and sirens transportation, is the most safe and time effective out of all our ground transport options. 

Because we pride ourselves on handling every detail of your transportation, we provide live and up to date tracking information to any email or phone number you provide. This leaves you worry free! We will always connect you with the most efficient operator for your transportation – in house or otherwise! We also have relationships with many emergent ambulance service providers should you need to transport medical teams, doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc. or any variety of other medical transportation. 

Not only does emergent transportation provide a faster alternative to medical transportation, it saves lives. You will not find a faster and more attentive team to transport your life-saving blood, organs, or surgical supplies. You will always be in the best hands with Medi-Ops and their emergent teams. 

Author Medi-Ops Team Categories Courier Services, Flight Services

New Aircraft Operator for Medical Delivery!

Medi-Ops is proud to announce our newest partnership with Colorado Heli-Ops! We partner to deliver our clients a variety of charter services concerning the transport of medical specimens including organs, blood, antivenin, and other life saving pharmaceuticals. This new service will serve the citizens of rural Colorado by providing medical supplies faster than ever before!

Colorado Heli-Ops was founded in 2009 and has been providing world class services to the aviation community ever since. Through hard work and dedication, their staff obtained an FAA part 135 certificate, allowing Heli-Ops to charter their aircraft throughout Colorado. We are excited to connect our two industries. 

Medi-Ops will provide connections to hospitals and continue to provide 24/7 dispatching, tracking, and coordination for chartered flights- now conducted by Heli-Ops!

By partnering, we have acquired even more tools to continue to decrease costs of medical cargo transportation- by air or ground. By operating smaller rotor aircraft, and specially outfitted ground units, we further allow hospitals to directly transport specimens for cheaper. In turn, patients will also pay less!

In the upcoming months, we will conduct mock operations to properly train all personnel involved, and report detailed risk assessments. We are excited to offer these services to medical facilities across Colorado and surrounding states . Enjoy the photos of our most recent photo shoot!