Improper cold storage can affect the quality of patient care. Reagents and controls, medications and vaccines, as well as precious patient samples require high-quality temperature control. Helmer Scientific’s cold storage and processing equipment is designed to meet demanding needs in a clinical setting, and help ensure the integrity and safety of critical products.
Helmer Scientific manufactures and distributes medical-grade cold-storage and processing equipment to help customers deliver the highest levels of patient care. With over 35 years of experience, Helmer supports customers in hospital laboratories, pharmacies, clinics and blood banks in more than 100 countries. It began by serving blood banks, where precision, quality and reliability of temperature control is essential for storage and transfusion of life-saving products. These same standards have been applied to the design and development of the entire product line.
Cold storage challenges
Helmer Scientific’s medical-grade products reduce the risk of precious patient samples, reagents, and controls being exposed to temperatures outside of the acceptable range. Its refrigerators and freezers provide high quality, meet the most stringent standards and offer superior temperature uniformity with powerful forced-air systems. This ensures quick recovery after door openings. Unlike household or commercial-grade units, Helmer Scientific products are designed and validated for uniform and stable temperatures throughout the storage space.
Its products offer continuous monitoring necessary for the storage of medical products. The i.Series line offers the i.C3 Information Center, a door-mounted, touch-screen interface with constant temperature monitoring and control. It is easy to view, and it provides statuses of critical information, alarms and events.
With its vast portfolio of smaller space-saving, under-counter refrigerators and freezers to large upright units, including double-door options, Helmer Scientific meets the cold-storage needs of a wide range of clinical environments and applications. Medical-grade cold storage also varies across clinical applications. Reagents, medications and vaccines, transfusion products, as well as patient samples, have different storage container configurations.
Having the appropriate shelves and drawers to maximise usable space and allow easy access to stored products is critical. Helmer Scientific allows the customisation of drawer, shelf, and basket combinations and locations, enabling improved inventory control and operational efficiency.
Maintain the integrity of precious samples and reagents
Controlling access to refrigerator and freezer contents may play a key role in maintaining the integrity of precious and expensive stored products and samples. Integrated access control is available for all of the i.Series and Horizon Series cold-storage products. This optional feature can increase control, confidence and security for blood products, patient samples, reagents, medications and vaccines.
An electronic magnetic lock is integrated into the cabinet of the unit, creating a seamless system that controls access and logs each entry. Access is managed by user-specific PIN and can have up to 100 unique profiles programmed. The i.Series i.D Integrated Access Control system includes a data log, which provides an audit trail that consists of user IDs, dates, times and duration of entries into the refrigerator or freezer.
Conclusion
As clinical laboratories assess risks, the possibility of improper storage affecting the quality of test results and impacting patient care must be taken into consideration. These risks can be reduced with implementation of high-quality medical-grade refrigeration. Configurable storage is also available to improve inventory control and operational efficiencies. In addition, Integrated Access Control is available to safeguard precious samples, reagents, and other life-saving products, providing a new level of security and confidence.
