Transportable Blood Storage

The TBS (Transportable Blood Storage) is Delta Development Team INC next generation technology enabling cold chain strategies to extend the effective shelf-life of blood products within the battlefield and during evacuation. The TBS is easily transportable, lightweight, and durable in extreme environments and rough handling. It is easy to use and requires low maintenance. The TRL 6 TBS prototype has been designed specifically to achieve low radiated emissions (EMI) required for airworthiness release critical to support readiness and care in future multi-domain battlefield scenarios.  The TBS supports rapid medical cold-chain logistics (minimized cold-chain) for quick deployment on longer trips and less certain missions. Autonomy (battery life) was the focus of the Phase II innovation to this end. The TBS batteries provide blood bank grade storage for over 10 days, a 5X improvement over other battery powered solutions. The TBS heater prevents freezing in cold environments. Currently, Delta’s smaller 6 liter blood refrigerator (Autonomous Portable Refrigeration Unit) is the only FDA listed product with such capability. On external power, the TBS provides indefinite blood storage without intervention, unlike blood stored on water ice.  Once on the battlefield, the TBS will use any power supply. This helps forward hospitals establish independence and persistence while still able to pick up and move quickly.The TBS extends reach by meeting the “10 day” autonomy in 80°F ambient requirement listed in the SBIR request from the US Army Institute of Surgical Research 2. Because of the sufficiently long autonomy, the TBS blood refrigerator can be used to leapfrog long portions of the current ASBP (Armed Services Blood Program) multi-stop coldchain. The delivery will not depend on an existing support infrastructure of ice or an external power supply.  For example, it can be packed in CONUS at an ASBP ASWBPL (Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory) then forwarded directly to a Marine Logistics Group in the battlefield without stops at EBTC (Expeditionary Blood Transshipment Center) or BSU (Blood Supply Unit). This effectively extends the blood shelf life at the point of use.