Handling and packaging of medical bags at acute disaster sites under high-temperature conditions

• Published in: BMC Research Notes Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 158 - 5
• Main Authors: Ando, Wataru, Imamura, Yumika, Nagashima, Hideyuki, Kondo, Kouji, Nakamura, Kazunori, Otori, Katsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Science and Business Media LLC 16.03.2020; BioMed Central Ltd; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Biology (General); Cameras; Disaster medical assistance team; Disaster medicine; Disaster Planning; Disaster Planning - methods; Disaster Planning - organization & administration; Drug management; Drugs and athletes; Earthquakes; Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Medical Services - methods; Experiments; High temperature; Hot Temperature; Humans; Japan; Management; Medical research; Medical supplies; Medicine; Packaging; Q1-390; QH301-705.5; R; Research Note; Science (General); Teams; Variance analysis; Japan; Disaster medical assistance team; Disaster medicine; Drug management
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-05014-4

After the large-scale earthquake in 2011, the disaster medical assistance team (DMAT) was made responsible for medical activities during the hyperacute phase of a disaster or accident in Japan. The medicines to be administered at the disaster sites, packaged in medical bags, may be affected by the temperatures there. This study aimed at establishing a method to handle drug bags in high-temperature situations by determining the temperature changes in medical bags subject to high temperatures and examining the effect of opening the bag and using heat-insulating material (HIM) and coolants. Closed and semi-opened bags limited the temperature increase in the central part of the bag at both 35 and 40 °C to a greater extent than opened bags. When coolant and HIM were used in closed and semi-opened bags, the internal temperatures were significantly lower than in the opened state at 40 °C. In high-temperature disaster sites, medical bags should be maintained in a semi-opened or closed state using a HIM and coolant.