Blood Culture Vials Can Be Transported Safely

A system enables safe transportation of blood culture vials.

The Bactec SafePod was designed for the safe transportation of blood culture vials in pneumatic tube systems, and for safe transportation of positive blood cultures from satellite sites to a central laboratory.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD; Oxford, United Kingdom) developed the SafePod, an enclosed system that was designed to accommodate up to two BD Bactec bottles, which will fit all pneumatic tube transport systems, to convey safely blood culture vials from point of collection to point of analysis.

The SafePod contains an absorbent insert that separates the Bactec blood culture vials to cushion them during high-speed transportation, and is capable of absorbing 100 mL of liquid–more than sufficient for the contents of two bottles. SafePod is manufactured from clear plastic for easy inspection prior to opening, and is sterilizeable for reuse.

The BD Bactec SafePod is fully compliant with all UN 3373 transportation requirements for diagnostic blood specimens, both inside and outside the hospital. BD Bactec blood culture bottles are fully compliant as the primary receptacles, and the BD Bactec SafePod is fully compliant as the secondary receptacles. The BD Bactec bottles and the BD Bactec SafePod count as the first two layers, enabling further packaging into either a pneumatic tube for transportation within the hospital, or a rigid box for transportation within sites.

Chris Head-Jenner, Marketing Manager, UK and Ireland, BD, who led the product design, says, "Historically, there has been a reluctance to transport biological compounds in glass bottles through hospital pneumatic tube systems, for fear of breakage. The BD Bactec SafePod addresses these customer concerns by providing a system that safely transports biological compounds, meets HPA requirements, whilst also saving space and time."

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Becton, Dickinson and Company