Passive, portable blood storage system

Abstract

A passive, portable system and a method for storing blood are disclosed. The system comprises a sealable thermal isolation chamber which is preconditioned at a certain temperature for a predefined period of time. The thermal isolation chamber includes cavities of a phase change material which help to maintain the temperature of bags of human blood that are placed into the thermal isolation chamber for storage during transit. The thermal isolation chamber is surrounded by vacuum insulation panels and the vacuum insulation panels, encompassing the thermal isolation chamber, is placed into a durable carrying bag. The thermal isolation chamber is reusable along with the vacuum insulation panels and bag.

1 . A portable system for storing human blood, said system comprising: 
 a base unit, having a plurality of closed walls and an open side, into which containers of human blood are placed, and wherein said closed walls of said base unit include a phase change material positioned therein, the phase change material having phase change characteristics to substantially maintain a temperature of between 2-6° C.;    a lid including a phase change material, and wherein said lid fits onto said open side of said base unit to seal said base unit when storing said containers of human blood; and    an outer carrying bag surrounding said base unit and lid.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said base unit and said lid constitute a thermal isolation chamber.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one equilibrium port for equalizing pressure of the interior of the system relative to the exterior atmosphere.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the walls of said base unit and said lid include cavities of said base unit and said lid include cavities in which said phase change material is provided.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising a thermal isolation member associated with each of said cavities positioned adjacent said phase change material therein.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein said thermal isolation members comprise a sheet member having a trigger material provided therein, the trigger material facilitating control of the phase change characteristics of said phase change material.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a trigger material to which said phase change material is exposed to facilitate control of the phase change characteristics of said phase change material.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the interior of the walls of said base unit are covered with an insulating material wherein the insulating material is overlapped at the intersection of the walls.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the overlapped portions are provided in a pinwheel-type configuration.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising insulating panels surrounding the base unit and lid.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the temperature is maintained within the range of 2-6° C. for at least forty-eight hours.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one cavity in which the phase change material is positioned.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising at least one thermal isolation member within the cavity.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one thermal isolation member is provided with a trigger material thereon, which is in contact with the phase change material.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the thermal isolation member is configured to be flat or corrugated.  
     
     
         16 . A method for storing human blood, said method comprising: 
 preconditioning a thermal isolation chamber at a preconditioning temperature for a predefined period of time, said thermal isolation chamber comprising a base unit and a lid, said base unit having a plurality of closed walls and an open side, and wherein said closed walls of said base unit and said lid include internal cavities containing a phase change material which changes phase within a predetermined storage temperature range;    placing at least one container of human blood into said base unit;    placing said lid onto said open side of said base unit to seal said base unit;    surrounding said sealed base unit with a vacuum insulation material; and    placing said sealed base unit surrounded by said insulation material into a carrying bag.