Method for determining and monitoring ageing of blood bags
AssigneeBiolog, Inc.
InventorsAntoine De Gaulle, Jean-Claude Mongrenier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention concerns a method which consists in determining ageing an ageing index of a blood bag (11, 62), to determine whether the blood bag is or not suitable for transfusion to a patient. The ageing index is calculated by connecting a silicon chip provided with a loop antenna integral with the blood bag (11, 62) with an electronic communication device (2, 8, 17, 12, 20, 24), itself equipped with a loop antenna, connected to a computer (9, 13) containing appropriate computing software elements. Said ageing index is regularly calculated at the blood transfusion centre (16) from the sample (1), until it is removed from storage (7) to be sent to the health-care institution (18) and to the operating theatre (19).
Claims10
1- Method for qualifying, re-qualifying and disqualifying a blood bag (11, 31, 43, 62) by determining and monitoring the evolution of an ageing index on the said blood bag, indicating that the latter may or may not be transfused to a patient and on which is permanently attached a silicon chip (33) fitted with a loop antenna (32) capable of communicating with an electronic communication device (2, 8, 12, 17, 20, 23, 35) also equipped with a loop antenna (36) connected to a computer (9.13) or to a simplified calculating device (24), according to which the ageing index is established beginning at an initial moment when the blood is collected from a donor in a blood transfusion centre (16) and entered on the silicon chip (33) by means of an electronic communication device (2) fitted to a weighing and stirring device (1), the value of the ageing index evolving progressively, notably depending on the time elapsed and environmental conditions, towards a maximum value, which, when it has been reached, leads to the blood bag being disqualified and destroyed, the value of the ageing index being calculated between two successive moments in time that constitute a period by putting the silicon chip (33) in relation with one of the electronic communication devices (8, 12, 17, 20, 23, 35), itself connected to a computer (9.13), using pre-determined ageing models characteristic of the period under consideration and established by experiment on the basis of empirical formulae taking account of bacteriological analyses, the value of the ageing index at the beginning of the period, the duration of the period and the environmental characteristics of the blood bag (11, 31, 43, 62) during the period under consideration. As the ageing index is calculated more particularly when the blood bag enters or leaves a controlled atmosphere chamber (7.10) and when a patient is transfused with the blood that it contains in a health-care institution (16) and the new ageing index value is entered in the silicon chip (33) after each calculation.
2- Method for determining an ageing index as per claim 1, characterised by the fact that the index is calculated when the blood bag (18) is put into the controlled atmosphere chamber (7) at the blood transfusion centre (16), using a third electronic communication device (17) connected to the first computer (9), the ageing index being recalculated if needs be when stocks of blood bags are controlled for statistical reasons and when the blood bag (11) is removed to be dispatched to a health-care institution, using the second electronic communication device (8) connected to the first computer (9).
3- Method for determining an ageing index as per claim 1, characterised by the fact that the index is calculated automatically at close and regular intervals of time in a cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (10, 39) where the silicon chip (33) on each blood bag (11, 31, 43) is put into permanent relation with a dedicated electronic communication device (12, 35) connected to a second computer (13) so that the blood bag may be removed at any moment after an up-to-date ageing index has been entered on its silicon chip, to be dispatched to an operating theatre (19) where the ageing index is established before a patient is transfused with the blood contained in the blood bag by means of a fourth electronic communication device (20) connected to the second computer (13), any unused blood bag being put back into the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (10) or even being returned to the blood transfusion centre (16).
4- Method as per claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that, at the moment of the transfusion, the qualification of the blood bag may be checked by means of a fifth independent electronic communication device (23) connected to a simplified calculating system (24) capable of comparing the length of time spent by the blood bag outside the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (10, 39) with an allocated length of time, corresponding to the life-span remaining in non-controlled atmosphere outside a controlled atmosphere chamber, entered in the silicon chip (33) while it was stocked in the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (10, 39), a life-span longer than which the blood bag (11) can no longer be used for transfusions without being re-qualified by an electronic communication device (17, 12, 20) connected to a computer (9, 13).
5- Method as per claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that stock management of the blood bags (31, 43) is carried out inside the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (39) by a second computer (13) using an address allocated to each compartment (26) containing the blood bags and corresponding to a certain number of hierarchical criteria, the person responsible for removing the blood bags entering the characteristics of his or her requirement on the computer screen and giving his or her identity, the computer (13) indicating in reply the address of the compartments corresponding to the requirements requested and the hierarchical criteria for removal.
6- Method as per claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that the ageing index value of the blood bag (11, 43) placed in the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (10, 39) is approaching its maximum value and that its life-span will lead to this maximum value being exceeded, the blood bag (11, 43) is disqualified and its address indicated by the computer (13) for destruction.
7- Device for implementing the method as per claims 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that the compartments in the cellular controlled atmosphere chamber (39) for storing the blood bags (11) include a wide horizontal lower surface (27) capable of holding a blood bag (31) in such a way that the loop antenna (32) on the silicon chip (33) is placed opposite the loop antenna (36) of a dedicated electronic communication device (35) integrated into the wide horizontal surface (27), each dedicated electronic communication device (35) being connected to the same second computer (13) that memorises all or part of the characteristics of the blood bags (31) contained in the compartments (26) and consults every compartment at close and regular intervals in time for checking that a blood bag (31, 43) is in fact present in a compartment (26, 44) and calculating its ageing index for incorporating the index in the silicon chip (33) with the time and date of the calculation.
8- Device as per claim 7, characterised by the fact that the compartments are independent drawers (45) composed of a wide lower face (46), incorporating a dedicated electronic communication device (47) connected to a primary connecting device (50) attached to the small side face that constitutes the back of the drawer (51), small side faces (52, 53) with guide rails on their outside surface (54), running on horizontal slide-ways (57) attached to rack arrangements (56), which form a storage unit (55) the back of which (58) contains secondary connecting devices (59) to which the primary connecting devices (50) are attached, connected to the second computer (13).
9- Device as per claim 7, characterised by the fact that the compartments (26, 44, 61) include indicator lamps (40, 41, 42) respectively indicating the compartments (26) that contain a blood bag (31) selected for use by the second computer, compartments (44) containing a disqualified blood bag (43) to be sent away for destruction, compartments (61) that do not contain a blood bag or whose dedicated electronic communication device (35) is not operational.
10- Device as per claim 7, characterised by the fact that all the compartments (26) or the storage unit (55) fitted with independent drawers (45) form a complete unit capable of being put inside a non-equipped controlled atmosphere chamber.