An often neglected but extremely important part of healthcare
facilities is the use of biomedical refrigerators. The medical-grade
refrigerators are designed to store time and temperature-sensitive biological
products such as vaccines, biological reagents, flammable chemicals, medical
dosages, blood, etc. as they offer optimal temperature and efficient storage.
If these materials deviate from a particular temperature range, safety can be
compromised, and financial losses might incur. Ensuring the quality of
temperature sensitive materials largely depends on the kind of cold-storage
unit installed for storing the biological materials. Some healthcare facilities
opt for household refrigerators to save money, but this choice can prove to be
detrimental in the long run, compromising the integrity of sensitive medical
products. Whereas biomedical refrigerator and freezer require a high up-front
cost, but they provide a better investment over time than domestic units.
The biomedical refrigerator and freezer offer a favourable
environment for the biomedical products, providing stable temperature and
restoring temperature quickly in case of excursion. The compressor installed in
the biomedical refrigerator and freezer have greater efficiency for reaching
and maintaining the target temperature. While a conventional refrigerator might
take around 15-20 minutes to restore the temperature once the door is opened,
specialized biomedical units consistently stay within the range and maintain a
stable temperature. Biomedical refrigerators and freezers are extensively used
in research laboratories, blood banks, diagnostic centres, hospitals,
pharmacies, and educational institutions.
Unlike typical refrigerators, biomedical appliances have a
microprocessor-based system that accurately measures and monitors interior
temperatures using digital sensors such as thermocouples, resistance
temperature detectors (RTD) and thermistors. The biomedical refrigerators and
freezers also have a fast temperature recovery apparatus that respond
immediately to out-of-temperature readings. Some medical-grade refrigerators
allow health workers to locate items inside before opening the door to help
maintain the unit’s temperature since the door is opened for less frequently.
According to TechSci research report
on, “Global Biomedical Refrigerators and Freezers Market, By Product (Pass-Through, Explosion
Safe, Flammable storage, Combo/Dual Temperature, Ultra Low freezers, Plasma
freezers, Others), By Storage (Blood, Vaccines, Plasma, DNA, Flammable
chemicals, Others), By Temperature (RNA & DNA (-70°C to -80°C), Vaccines
(-30°C to -40 °C), Others), By Capacity (138L, 169L, 221L, 230L, 426L, 690L,
Others), By End-user (Hospitals, Pharmacies, Diagnostic Centers, Research
Laboratories, Blood Banks), By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025”, the global market for biomedical
refrigerators and freezers was valued at USD 2.88 billion in 2019 and is
projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.72% in value terms during the forecast period.
Biomedical refrigerators and freezers have the capabilities to store the
biological samples like blood and urine at the desired low temperatures for
diagnosis and testing purposes. Rise in number of blood banks all over the
world calls for biomedical refrigerators and freezers to provide high quality
samples to the patients. Additionally, biomedical refrigerators and freezers
are environmentally friendly as they release less GHG in the atmosphere, which
is anticipated to positively impact the growth of the market until 2025.
However, the high installation cost is a major restraining factor of this
market.
Types of Biomedical Refrigerators
Based on the type of application, Biomedical refrigerators can
be divided into four categories.
Laboratory refrigerators
Laboratory refrigerators are designed for the storage and
preservation of laboratory products to maintain consistent temperatures and
monitor temperature with digital displays. The laboratory refrigerators include
lockable easy-to-clean sections as they are used to cool samples and
preservations. The lab fridges come up with anti-frost fans to keep moisture
down inside the cooling chamber and provide a dry environment to the dried
reagents or materials, susceptible to moisture contamination.
Blood bank refrigerators
Since blood is an excellent culture medium for bacterial growth,
it must be kept at designated temperature-controlled storage at 2-6 degrees.
The blood bank refrigerators are specially designed to avoid the risk of
bacterial growth and contamination. The blood bank freezers are used to store
fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate a less than -30O to maintain its potency.
Chromatography refrigerators
These are specifically designed to store samples and results of
research experiments. The refrigerators can be best used for medical samples
and procedures that require precise temperature settings and stability.
Explosion proof refrigerators
Explosion proof refrigerators and freezers are designed with
spark-free interiors and exteriors to utilize it as a flammable storage unit.
These refrigerators prevent ignition from flammable vapours or gases present in
the surroundings. Some explosion-proof refrigerators also contain special
design features such as magnetic door gaskets, self-closing doors, and special
inner shell materials that prevent the occurrences of accidents.
Factors to Consider before Choosing a Biomedical Refrigerator
Every healthcare facility or clinic has its unique storage needs
when it comes to refrigeration. Therefore, one must consider the following
factors before making the purchase of biomedical refrigerator and freezer.
Purpose
Stakeholders should choose
the biomedical units that meets the primary requirement of the health care facilities depending on their
product and service offerings. Most manufacturers offer all-refrigerators,
freezer less refrigerators, and all-freezers in place of refrigerator-freezer
combination. While some refrigerator-freezer units are preferable to keep staff
items, beverages, ice packs, etc., these are not suitable for vaccine storages
to avoid contamination and reduce frequency of opening door, which can harm the
interior contents. Consider stackable units or opt for slimmer side-by-side
sets if you require both refrigeration and freezer temperatures for storage to
help accommodate the needs.
Size & Capacity
Biomedical refrigerators and freezers
are available in different sizes, from compact to large-capacity models. The
stakeholders should choose the optimal size of the biomedical unit depending on
the organizational needs, space available in the facility, and amount of
inventory. Overcrowding biomedical products in biomedical units that are too
compact can result in poor internal airflow while too spacious units can affect
internal temperature and lead to unnecessary energy consumption.
Placement
Most biomedical refrigerators are
generally designed for either built-in installation or freestanding use. If the
refrigerator is going to be place under a counter or surrounded by cabinets, it
must be designed for built-in installation with a fan that pushes air out of
the front otherwise absence of ventilation might hamper the performance of
biomedical refrigerators. Whereas free standing refrigerators do not require an
exterior fan and usually come at a relatively low price than build-in
refrigerators.
Temperature requirements
There is no standard temperature
setting for all biological products, but it is advised to keep them within the
temperature range of 2 to 8ºC. The medical-grade refrigerators should not have
the temperature swing of more than 2ºC outside the thermostat set point. While
most standard freezers run between -10º and -20ºC, the laboratory freezers can
reach between -45º and -85ºC. Since every sensitive material has a unique
temperature requirement, it is best to know the details before deciding.
Shelving
While glass shelves are preferred for
easy accessibility and cleanability, they are not recommended for medical
storage because the surface can impede cooling circulation. Instead, opt for a
biomedical refrigerator that include wire shelves, or shelves with ventilation
holes. Some vaccine refrigerators come with interior drawers with solid fronts
to facilitate an ambient temperature when door is opened. In some cases,
drawers can be constructure from wire or installed with added space in the rear
to promote air circulation and ensure better organization.
Temperature Monitoring
Temperature monitoring ensure that
the refrigeration is working properly and performing according to the
standards. Rather than assigning staff to take regular temperature readings
from a thermometer, the data loggers in the biomedical refrigerators enable one
to record temperatures at user-set time intervals. Many biomedical
refrigerators and freezers also include audio temperature alarms that creates a
sound when the unit falls out of pre-set temperature range.
Conclusion
With the growing demand of medical-grade
refrigerators and freezers, manufacturers are fortifying biomedical units with
various innovations. Some biomedical units feature self-closing doors, which
prevents units from accidentally left open by busy staff. The advanced
biomedical refrigerators come with hospital-grade cords with solid pins and
giant plug bodies to reduce the occurrence of contour shock. Some units also
feature auto-frosting capabilities to avoid time-consuming manual defrosting
and reduce maintenance costs. For vaccine storage, the units should always need
to stay frost-free to ensure the safety of vaccines and avoid frozen vials. Most
institutional refrigerators come with keyed locks, combination locks or digital
keypad to offer more security to store items. The rapid advancements in
biomedical units and growing demand for vaccines and other sensitive biological
materials are expected to drive the biomedical refrigerator and freezer market
in the coming years.
According to TechSci
research report on “Global Refrigerant Market, By Type (Fluorocarbons,
Inorganics and Hydrocarbons), By Application (Refrigerators, Large-Scale
Refrigerators, Chillers, Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps and Others), By Company
and By Geography, Forecast & Opportunities, 2023”, Global Refrigerant
Market is projected to reach USD 18.15 Billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of
over 4%, in value terms owing to the rapid growth in the consumer electronic
segment which in turn drivers the refrigerants market as consumer electronic
devices like refrigerators, air conditioners etc require refrigerants.
Moreover, the increasing demand from the cold chain market coupled with the
rising need of energy-efficient appliances is expected to propel the growth of
the market in the next five years. Based on the type, the fluorocarbon
refrigerants segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR due to its
applications such as energy efficiency, decreased flammability, and lower corrosive
nature. Based on the applications, the refrigerators segment leads the market
due to increasing disposable incomes and spending power of the middle class on
appliances, such as refrigeration systems. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to
dominate the market in the next five years due to widespread use of consumer
electronics like refrigerators and air-conditioners in constituent regions like
China and India.