°MEQU has developed an IV-blood warmer for emergency transfusions. It’s a portable fluid warmer which warms up blood from cold to body temperature within seconds. The °M Warmer System includes a Power Pack and a single use °M Warmer. The two parts are easily connected resulting in less than 30 seconds setup time. Blood and other infusion fluids can be heated from 5°C to 37°C at flowrates up to 150 ml/min. The Power Pack has enough capacity to heat 1.5 litres of cold fluid (4°C) or 3.0 litres of fluid at room temperature (21°C) to body temperature.
When we treat critical patients we want the products to be intuitive and very easy to implement.
BENEDICT KJÆRGAARD Chief Physician & Hypothermia Expert
The Power Pack and single use °M Warmer have a compact design and together weigh 760 grams making the °M Warmer System ideal for pre-hospital use. The single-use warmer’s small size (10cm x 5cm x 2cm) allows it to be attached to the patient close to the infusion site, using its integrated adhesive pad. This drastically reduces the risk of pulling out the catheter as well as reducing heat loss in the tubing.
Hypothermia is a condition where the body’s own heat production can’t match the heat loss to the environment resulting in a lowered body core temperature. Trauma patients do not die from hypothermia itself – they die of bleeding. Bleeding makes the body lose important red blood cells used to carry oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. Trauma patients with substantial bleeding are at risk of entering the deadly trauma triad of hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy. This combination means that when the body core temperature drops, the acidity in the blood increases and the blood loses its ability to coagulate. Without coagulation, it is much more difficult to stop the bleeding and save the life of the patient.
Studies show that patients with admission temperatures less than 35 degrees C has significantly greater mortality.[1] This is a significant risk as studies also show that hypothermia is the most common cause of clotting disorder[2] and that approximately 57 % of trauma victims requiring immediate surgery become hypothermic in the period between injury and completion of the surgery.[3]
The American Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) states that 80 % of trauma deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan had a body core temperature below 34 °C. The consequence of bleeding and a BCT below 34 °C is a 2.4-fold increase of blood loss, compared to having a normal body core temperature of 37 °C.[4]
Prevention of hypothermia and early intervention are very important when it comes to temperature control of the body – waiting until arrival at the hospital could be too late.
Martin, R Shayn;et al. Injury-associated hypothermia: an analysis, Shock Vol 24(2), Aug. 2005, pp 114
Kjærgård, B et. al, Behandling af den hypoterme patient, UGESKR LÆGER 170/23, 2008
Betty J. Tsuei, Hypothermia in the trauma patient, Int. J. Care Injured (2004) 35, 7—15
Jarvis – OEF OIF Casualty Statistics & Lessons Learned-REVISED 18 April 2005, C.A.L.L.
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