Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 62. No. 2, 2023.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2023.62.02.13
Impact of Air Transport on Blood Sample Quality
Irena Jukić
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
*
Tomislav Vuk
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Zvonimir Majić
; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivanka Batarilo
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Jasna Bingulac-Popović
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Ana Hećimović
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Marina Lampalo
; Jordanovac Department for Lung Diseases, Zagreb University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Maja Strauss Patko
; Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to establish the impact of air transport on blood samples
packaged with and without cooling elements and effect of outdoor temperature on sample quality. Venous
samples from 38 blood donors in winter and 36 in summer were tested for hemolysis and complete
blood count. One tube per subject was kept in controlled conditions at +4 °C. Two sets of tubes were
sent by plane from Zagreb to Brussels, one with and one without cooling elements, and another two sets
were sent to London following the same principle. Packages with cooling elements were stored in controlled
warehousing conditions at airports (+2 °C to +8 °C), whereas packages without cooling elements
were stored in ambient warehouse conditions. Data loggers were used for temperature monitoring. Our
research revealed statistically significant differences in several hematologic parameters when comparing
the samples stored in controlled laboratory conditions and those transported by plane. These differences
were more pronounced in the samples transported during the summer. Transport conditions without
cooling elements had additional negative impact on the sample quality. Transport of samples using cooling
elements and controlled warehousing conditions at airports are sometimes not sufficient to maintain
laboratory storage conditions.
Keywords
Blood sample quality; Transport conditions; Hematologic parameters
Hrčak ID:
308769
URI
Publication date:
1.8.2023.
Visits: 742 *