Design and Construction of Improvised Mini-Blood Storage Refrigerator

Abstract

Background: Domestic refrigerators and freezers are generally used for the storage of blood and blood components. In rural areas, especially in low and medium income countries, there is need to develop low cost portable refrigerators for the storage of blood. Objective: The objective of this study was to design and construct a low cost, portable blood storage refrigerator capable of maintaining the temperature range (2°C–6°C). Methods: The casing was constructed from a scrap microwave oven as the magnetron, transformer and other electronic components were removed in order to create a space to accommodate the compressor engine. The device comprised an electrically powered compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube or expansion valve, an evaporator, and a temperature regulator. The components were joined using gas welding. Blood was stored in the device for 7 days and the effectiveness of our device was tested by determining the viability of the stored blood. Results: The device maintained a steady temperature of 2oC-6oC with the capacity to store about 10 blood bags. Haematocrit level and haemoglobin concentrations were determined at storage and at the end of the device testing using the haematology analyzer. Both parameters showed only a slight reduction, which was still within the acceptable limits. The pre-storage haematocrit was 45% while post storage was 39% and the haemoglobin concentration which was 15 g/dl had reduced to 13 g/dl. Conclusion: The purpose-designed blood storage device was shown to be effective in the storage of blood.