On May 30, 2000, the e-Network was asked if any hospital has experience with intra-hospital use of a pneumatic tube system for transporting platelet components. A hospital was wondering if such transport might predispose the platelets to accelerated activation and/or reduced viability.

The following replies were received:

1. One member was concerned about any potential changes in product temperature as air pressure pushes the blood product during the transport process.

2. Another member commented that his hospital had used pneumatic tube transport for liquid blood components including platelets between the laboratory at the community Blood Center and a University Hospital which was located about one half block away for many years without difficulty.

3. A member commented that his facility has used a pneumatic tube
system for years to deliver components, including platelets. Although they have done no formal studies, they have seen adequate increments in counts to be confident that viability is not being significantly compromised.

4. A large University Hospital's Blood Bank uses Translogic model CTS 30 pneumatic tubes to transport platelets and blood samples to nursing units. When glass test tubes are placed glass-to-glass, they often break. Therefore, the question raised is a good one. This facility believes that the turbulence in a bag of platelets is no greater than that of the Blood Bank's platelet agitator. They have never seen bubbles or foam in blood bags. They over-wrap the components with Ziploc bags so they fit snugly in the bullet carrier. The have never conducted laboratory studies before and after pneumatic tube shipping to study whether the platelets were activated.

5. A blood banker at a large transfusion service wondered, if we consider issuance and administration of blood products as following a chain of command with documentation at each step, then once out of human hands or control, the chain is broken. The issue may be not what happens to the product, but a gap in control. This may be resolved by direct phone communication at both ends of the pneumatic tube and documentation of both personnel sending and receiving and time sent and arrived.

6. A retired blood banker commented that his experience with having deliveries of platelets both by pneumatic tube and by runners in the same institution was that there was not an apparent difference in those delivered by tube.

Finally, refer to a prior discussion on this website regarding the use of the pneumatic tube, but for transport of red cell products.

Please submit comments to the e-Network Forum.

Ira A. Shulman, MD
CBBS e-Network Forum Editor & Moderator