There are a few elements to take into account when testing bags: the ambient temperature, the type of medication and the static temperature of the medication itself. What interests us is the temperature of the medication itself (not the air around it).
Equipment:
- Syringes, vials and pre-filled pens filled with water
- Temperature controllers (we use a MadgeTech Thermocouple Datalogger, with 8 different temperature probes)
- A temperature-controlled black box that keeps the bag being tested at a constant temperature
When testing a medication cooling bag, we try to reproduce normal conditions of use as closely as possible. We first fill syringes, pens and vials with water and place them in a household fridge so that they are between 2 and 8°C.
We then prepare the bag by placing the gel packs in a freezer at -18°C for at least 14 hours. -18°C is the temperature of a standard household freezer.
We place the MadgeTech temperature probes in the water-filled syringes, pens and vials so that they measure the temperature of the liquid. These probes are connected to the MadgeTech temperature controller, which in turn is connected to a computer that records the temperature every minute. The vials, syringes and pens are then placed in the medication cooling bag being tested, together with the properly frozen gel packs in the correct position.
The entire test takes place in a controlled temperature environment (black box) kept at a constant temperature of 24.2°C. The computer records the temperature every minute for 12, 24 or 36 hours, depending on the bag being tested.
Why 24.2°C?
24.2°C is internationally regarded as an average ambient temperature and is also the temperature maintained inside aircraft. Because most people use medication cooling bags to travel by plane, this is the reference temperature used to test insulated bags.
What if I use my medication cooling bag at a higher temperature?
If you use a medication cooling bag that has been tested to keep your medication between 2 and 8°C for 24 hours, but you use it at an ambient temperature of 30°C, it will not last as long as 24 hours.
At MediCooler, we do our utmost to make bags that perform perfectly, but the performance of the bag is determined by the intrinsic limitations of the environment in which it is used.