Tracking Blood using RFID

Alien Technology, supplier of UHF Gen 2 radio frequency identification (RFID) products and services, and Barcelona, Spain based integrator partner Aifos Solutions, have announced the successful implementation of a UHF RFID based hemo-derivative blood bag tracking application. The solution dramatically improves upon efficiency, reduces errors, enhances visibility, and bolsters security within the supply chain at the Blood and Tissue Bank of Balearic Islands in Mallorca, at a fraction of the cost of alternative RFID tag solutions, says Alien.

“Great strides have been made with UHF RFID over the years, positioning the technology in favorable light in what was once considered an unachievable application, namely placement of UHF tags on liquids such as blood bags Today, however, these hurdles have been easily overcome, and UHF RFID performance far surpasses all other RFID tag technology options at a fraction of the cost. Today, high density containers with over 80 blood bags each are virtually instantaneously read, even on liquids in high moisture, frozen environments,” Alien said in a statement..

Explains Joan Xiol, managing director of Aifos, "One issue with using RFID to track blood/hemo-derivative bags has been how and where one could apply an RFID inlay on the plasma bag without any contaminants leeching into the blood itself. We found the correct solution to eliminate any contamination. Additionally, the inlay label needed to survive long durations at freezing temperatures (-35ºC) when the plasma bags are kept in the storage chamber.

“The tagged plasma bag must be readable both in a liquid and frozen state -- this was the second greatest challenge in this application. We are proud to say that we have solved both of these challenges and have installed the world's first such whole vein-to-vein tracking solution at the Blood and Tissue Bank of Balearic Islands in Mallorca (FBSTIB)."