As with all heat labile products the effect of heat exposure is cumulative.
It is for this reason that it is essential to respect the storage
temperatures at all stages of the cold chain. Unless Cold Chain Monitor
cards are included with a shipment of insulin it is difficult to know what
exposue has occured higher up the cold chain, therefore observance of the 0
to 8 degreesC storage is the safest way to ensure that insulin remains
potent.
The recent development of a vaccine vial monitor for oral polio vaccine
means that for that product it is possible to see at a glance if each vial
is OK to use or not. Maybe such a vial monitor should be developed for
insulin, then the user would be able to see if each vial was OK or not.
Anthony Battersby
FBA Health Systems Analysts
FBA@compuserve.com
--
Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.