Timestrip was on display at the Exhibit Hall in the impressive Pennsylvania Convention Center during the 2014 AABB Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA from the 25-28 of October.
Among the top medical devices and compliance tools for blood banks and hospitals being shown to AABB members from around the globe, our Blood Temp 10 product had its own display at the GenesisBPS booth.
We had fun meeting AABB members and demonstrating how our Blood Temp 10 product works.
Blood temperature breach indicator
Timestrip Blood Temp 10 is an irreversible, single-use 10ºC temperature breach indicator. It can be stored and shipped at room temperature when inert and is activated with simple finger pressure.
Once activated a confirmation window tells you the product is ready to monitor by filling with colour. It is then immediately adhered on the lower third of a pre-chilled blood bag.
Blood Temp 10 is ideal for the transportation of blood bags. When the core temperature of the blood breaches 10ºC, the indication window turns blue, showing you the blood is no longer suitable to return to storage.
If you missed out seeing us at the AABB 2014 Annual Meeting, you can read more about Blood Temp 10 here.
If you liked the clear breach indication and ease of use of Blood Temp 10, but need to monitor extreme room temperature breaches, then have a look at our Timestrip Plus ascending temperature breach indicators here.
Belgian Red Cross Flanders enters joint development agreement with Timestrip.
London/UK – September 17th 2014, Timestrip UK Ltd has announced it is working with Belgian Red Cross-Flanders to develop a new blood temperature monitoring label.
Timestrip today confirmed that such product development will look to create optimal temperature monitoring labels for the blood collection, distribution and transfusion organisations operating within the Flanders catchment area.
Temperature monitoring labels based on the existing Timestrip Blood Temp 10 product will be developed and reviewed in consultation with Belgian Red Cross-Flanders.
Belgian Red Cross-Flanders conducted lengthy investigations into different current temperature monitoring solutions for blood bags taken from sophisticated refrigeration units, leaving the blood banks for transfusion in theatre or if required at a secondary location.
Blood bag temperature monitoring with Belgian Red Cross
Clear and accurate monitoring of the core temperature of individual blood bags is required to identify ascending temperature breaches and prevent blood stocks being returned into the cold chain if unused after specified times or adversely affected by temperature.
The aim of this joint development initiative is to help define and pilot a range of smart labels that monitor critical temperature excursions.
The program agreement was signed by Philippe Vandekerckhove, Director General of Belgian Red Cross-Flanders, Reuben Isbitsky of Timestrip UK Ltd and Chris Van Sebroeck of Innolabel, Timestrip’s distribution partner in Belgium.
Commenting on the project, Timestrip Founder Reuben Isbitsky said “This is a milestone moment for Timestrip and we are delighted that Belgian Red Cross-Flanders has chosen to use our technology to help create optimized labels for these critical monitoring requirements. We believe that new products created as a result of this cooperation will possibly change standard operating procedures on a global scale.. ”
Seafood safety and quality can be compromised when exposed to temperatures that are either too high or too low. The Timestrip Seafood Temperature Indicator monitors the ascending temperatures of fresh seafood in reduced oxygen packaged seafood where C.botulinum toxins can develop undetected above 3.3°C / 38°F.
FDA C. Bot. HACCP plans for seafood imports
Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) forms toxins faster at temperatures above 3.3 degrees Celsius. The Timestrip Seafood Indicator is set at 38°F / 3.3°C and allows you to monitor if there is a possibility that these toxins have formed because of the temperature breach.
FDA guidance requires fish importers and processors to develop and implement a Hazard and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for addressing supply chain dangers including temperature abuse. With the Timestrip Seafood Indicator, seafood handlers know just by looking at the indicator if a temperature breach has occurred.
Belgium Military Hospital uses Timestrip Temperature Indicators to help protect vital blood stocks - PRESS RELEASE
Smart label pioneers Timestrip, working with their Benelux distribution partner INNOLABEL, have confirmed that the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Belgium has adopted a temperature control regime for red blood cells, platelets and plasma using Timestrip Temperature Indicators. Application of the Timestrip labels is helping to expose potentially fatal changes caused by damaging ascending or descending temperature and prevent unnecessary wastage of valuable life saving products through accurate temperature monitoring outside the cold chain
In addition to ongoing patient care and clinical research conducted at the hospital, there is a burns center and a blood bank taking donations from the active military and local civilian defense staff. Patients in the burns center are treated with blood products from the blood bank, along with children in the Hematology Oncology Center at the nearby Queen Fabiola Hospital.
Blood products are also shipped abroad to treat service personnel on foreign assignments, often in lifesaving scenarios.
In line with the Federal Public Health regulatory guidelines, the red blood cells, platelets and plasma are collected, processed and stored at their prescribed temperatures until released from the cold chain. Red blood cell concentrates are stored in refrigerators at +4 °C. Blood plasma is frozen to -80 ° C. Platelets are stored at a temperature of +22 ° C and gently agitated to prevent coagulation. The temperature in medical refrigerators is constantly monitored and reported, in line with regulatory demands.
However, the transportation of the red blood cell concentrates from the blood bank refrigerators to the care unit or operating theatre takes place in refrigerated boxes. It is here where Timestrip indicators become the guardians of product quality, monitoring individual product consignments for temperature abuse.
Timestrip indicators are activated by simple finger pressure and placed directly on to blood bag labels, monitoring the core bag temperature and providing clear visual indications of temperature excursions between 2-8 °C - including the length of time of that excursion. Freeze indicators also used on products to identify if a damaging temperature descent has occurred below 0 °C, either at altitude or in severe cold climates.
Timestrip indicators show that the necessary transportation temperatures (outside of the controlled cold chain) have been maintained. As a result, decisions regarding the permissible return of stock to the blood bank, or the safe use of products kept in cool boxes over a prolonged treatment period are made possible. The failsafe nature of the Timestrip technology and the irreversible display readings remove all ambiguity from the quality checks.
Without Timestrip indicators, the care teams would be obliged to follow The Federal Public Health guidelines that demand red blood cell concentrates returned to the blood bank are destroyed, if there is no proof that optimal storage conditions were maintained. The result is that invaluable blood products are destroyed by this lack of certainty. In the past, this ambiguity has led to significant wastage of perfectly good product, which is both costly and ethically uncomfortable to front line teams who know that blood donors give blood to help protect life, not see their donations discarded due to ambiguity.
Commenting on the adoption of Timestrip indicators, Dr. Christian Vandenvelde, Head of the Military Department for Blood Transfusion observes "By using the freeze indicators we can tell if the product has been frozen during storage or transport. Should an error occur and, for example, platelets have been kept in a freezer instead of at room temperature, then the freeze indicator makes this temperature abuse absolutely clear. With red blood cells, freezing causes the red blood cells to break down and if the temperature rises too high then bacteria could multiply to dangerous levels."
There are no special storage requirements for Timestrip labels which makes handling much more efficient when compared to other indicators. This is critical in operational terms, given that the blood bank teams have identified the need for speed when it comes to ID-tagging red blood cell concentrates once removed from the cold chain.Lieutenant France T'Sas, Doctor in biomedical sciences, has seen a big improvement in the way products are handled, commenting ''By using the TimestripPlus label, we noticed that there was already a limited excursion of the optimal temperature during ID - tagging of the red blood cell concentrates. The fact is that it warms up quickly, while it takes much longer to cool down. Timestrip indicators have helped identify this and as a result we have adapted and speeded up our procedures to prevent these excursions. The TimestripPlus label is very user friendly, very accurate and readable to anyone without any additional explanation.''
Dr.Vandenvelde concludes, "By applying freeze indicator and a TimestripPlus label, we can demonstrate that we now have continuous temperature monitoring of our blood products. This also means that we have more certainty on the storage conditions in order to take back blood products. Moreover, any human error can be discovered and critical mistakes avoided.
As a results of these advances in red blood cell product monitoring , we are now also using Timestrip labels with different temperature limits to apply to the platelets and plasma , because here continuous temperature control is an absolute must. Also, the cost of a TimestripPlus label is negligible in relation to the value of the blood products. These life saving products are too precious not to employ all means possible in order to improve our procedures, ensure quality and remove unnecessary wastage.
"The Belgium Military logistics teams are also using Timestrip indicators for temperature control of red blood cells during air transport to Africa, where they have soldiers in active service. All air transport equipment is validated for the transportation of red blood cell concentrates and both the Timestrip Plus and freeze indicators are used inside the validated shippers to help front line medical teams keep an eye on optimal temperatures during transport.
2013 saw the launch of several new products in the Timestrip range and a significant uplift in enquiries from within key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, life sciences and healthcare.
One such example being the Temp 10 temperature breach indicator label created for blood bags – now saving time, money and lives in blood banks across Europe and the USA.
Timestrip time temperature innovation
Innovation remains a core strand of our dynamic approach to solution development and the practical application of patented, low-cost smart label indicators.
As a result the company is looking to appoint a raft of new sales and marketing partners for its entire range, with a focus initially on mainland Europe.
Organisations with expertise and established routes to market within cold-chain markets in pharmaceuticals, medicines, vaccines, blood products and life sciences are invited to make contact for initial consultations with us via our contact page.
Time &Temperature Indicators from Timestrip are the vital ingredient in packaging kits designed for new range of home-cooked food parcels, showing loved ones their food has arrived within USDA transit temperature guidelines.
An America start-up business that is set to revolutionize the old fashioned "food parcel" has chosen Timestrip indicators to provide the in-transit temperature monitoring element of their innovative new container kits, to alert recipients to temperature abuse and thus helping to prevent consumption of foods affected by adverse heat exposure.
From Home With Love, which only launched in December 2013, is already providing hundreds of home cooks across the US with the validated packaging necessary to send home cooked frozen meals to loved ones away at college, on work assignment or on military service.
Food kit temperature shipping indicator
They are including Timestrip Plus Food indicators in their shipping kits so that the recipients can be assured that their lovingly prepared meals never went above 40ºF - as recommended by the USDA - while in transit.
The Timestrip Plus will alert to a breach above 40ºF and tracks cumulative time in increments of 2 hours and 4 hours, thus adhering to the USDA recommendation that food should not be consumed if exposed to temperatures over 40ºF for 2 hours or greater.
The patented technology behind the Timestrip Plus Food Indicator is irreversible and failsafe – with no moving parts or electronics used in the production. These low cost "smart" Food Labels are activated simply by finger pressure and applied to frozen food containers as they are placed into the specially designed shipping cases supplied by From Home With Love.
James Delaney, FHWL Founder and CEO is delighted with the adoption of the Timestrip Plus technology, commented that:
"Time-Temperature Indicators specific to the food industry are long overdue and the opportunity for us to offer existing clients and prospective customers Timestrip's advanced temperature monitoring indicator will benefit our company’s overall efforts as we continue to enhance our line of Reusable Insulated Container Kits.
We're looking forward to working with Timestrip on their latest product offering with great enthusiasm."
Start up company Pristine Solutions has developed a solution for wineries and fine wine distributors who are committed to their consumers pouring a perfect glass of vino.
Since the quality of wine can be affected by temperature changes, Pristine created a tag with a temperature monitoring Timestrip indicator, that visually alerts the consumer that the wine is no longer at peak quality due to a temperature disturbance.
The tags can be affixed to the bottles of wine and have a unique QR code to connect consumers with an app that can track their wine purchases.
Read more about this unique startup in their Forbes profile.
If you are attending the Annual Meeting of the AABB - the CTTXPO in Denver, Colorado, starting Monday October 14th, we look forward to seeing you. We'll be on Booth 1654 with our partners Shockwatch, demonstrating our latest product innovation: the Blood Temp 10 indicator label.
We also have a speaker slot at the show, starting at 1.30pm on Monday 14th, where we will be presenting a case study highlighting how temperature indicators not only help identify potentially heat damaged blood but also assist with identifying critical control points within your blood reissue compliance cycle (BRCC).
A study published by the American Journal of Clinical Pathology found that temperature sensitive labels for monitoring blood can help hospitals and blood banks conform to the American Association of Blood Banks and US Food and Drug Administration standards for safe human blood transportation and storage.
While many front-line teams rely on the 30 minute rule for returning blood back into storage, using a temperature sensitive label can increase the safety of the blood life cycle, while reducing wastage.
They found:
"...these devices offer transfusion services an opportunity to develop and validate their own in-house procedures to supplement and, thereby, improve on decisions using the 30-minute rule. For example, if a unit of RBCs were overheated by placement on a hot surface (eg, microwave heater, radiator, or the top of a refrigerator) but returned within 30 minutes to the transfusion service, its potential unsuitability would not be identified by a transfusion service relying only on the 30-minute rule. However, such a potentially unsuitable unit would be likely to be recognized if a temperature-sensitive label had been in place.
Also, procedures can be developed to use temperature-sensitive labels to avoid unnecessary and costly discards of blood components when storage for more than 30 minutes outside a temperature-monitored refrigerator raises questions about suitability."
Adoption of temperature monitoring indicators for blood
The adoption of our simple to use technology as a vital element of the BRCC compliant process will help deliver new levels of accountability across the RBC temperature management teams. Front line teams know the value of clear, simple communication.
Add in the fail-safe component of the Blood Temp 10 and the simplicity of use (including no additional pre-conditioning or expensive associated consumables) and they can see the real value of our technology.
In support of our latest technology we're also presenting a paper on best practices for keep your blood supply safe in our Learning Lab, entitled Before Good Blood Goes Bad.
According to the WHO around 107 million blood donations are collected globally every year and it is generally accepted that 2% of blood may be discarded. The use of suitable equipment and good management of blood cold chain are important means of minimizing losses and donated blood.
Visitors to our booth 1654 will be able to see the extent of savings achievable through the adoption of the Blood Temp 10 indicator label with our interactive Cost Calculator.
We invite you to join us and the ShockWatch team in Colorado next month and look forward to meeting members of the AABB.