Frio pouches for keeping drugs chilled.

ncmc

Hi all, following advice from posters here, I bought a Frio pouch to keep my husbands medication cool while we are travelling. It seems to be a great job and feels cold when you put your hand inside. However, my hubby being the Mythbuster type, put a thermometer inside it and it was reading as room temperature. He tried one of those probe things for testing the temp of food and it was reading at room temperature as well. I don't understand it as is definitely cold when you put your hand in, but he is worried about his medication spoiling. Does anyone have any explanation why the temp is reading room temperature? Want to make sure it works before we use it on 10h+ flight next week!

tbh

ncmc wrote: »

Hi all, following advice from posters here, I bought a Frio pouch to keep my husbands medication cool while we are travelling. It seems to be a great job and feels cold when you put your hand inside. However, my hubby being the Mythbuster type, put a thermometer inside it and it was reading as room temperature. He tried one of those probe things for testing the temp of food and it was reading at room temperature as well. I don't understand it as is definitely cold when you put your hand in, but he is worried about his medication spoiling. Does anyone have any explanation why the temp is reading room temperature? Want to make sure it works before we use it on 10h+ flight next week!

is this insulin? Can't tell you how it works, but I regularly (all too regularly) take 9+ hr flights with my insulin in one - no problems so far

ncmc

tbh wrote: »

is this insulin? Can't tell you how it works, but I regularly (all too regularly) take 9+ hr flights with my insulin in one - no problems so far

It's not insulin, it's Humira which he takes for Crohns, it has to be kept between 5-8 degrees, so he normally just keeps it in the fridge. I presume this is the same with insulin?

tbh

hmm - insulin is a bit different, to be honest - you need to keep it in the fridge before you use it, but room temp. is fine for about two weeks while it's being used.

Have a look at these guys:

http://www.amazon.com/Medicool-Deluxe-Extra-Cold-Value/dp/B000BHNMKW

I also use these, and they have a big ice pack that stays frozen solid for about six hours, and very cold for an additional 3 or so. that might be more useful, but I'm sure some of the chrohns guys and girls here would have some advice as well.

robinph

The way the Frio packs work I don't thing just putting a thermometer in it will get a decent reading unless you leave it there for a long time. The evapouration of the water in the pack is what causes the pack to cool, but it will take a good time before it actually cools whatever it is that you have put inside it. The insulin I have in my packs is defiantely cooler after it has been in for a good few hours.

rubadub

robinph wrote: »

I don't thing just putting a thermometer in it will get a decent reading unless you leave it there for a long time.

Yes, I do a lot of temperature testing in my job, for rapid reaction times you need wire thermocouples, since the thick probe types take a while to warm/cool/stabilise, and they can heat up the surroundings you put them in. It would also need to be in good contact with the surroundings, if just in air it takes a long time to cool down.

A tip I use is to preheat/prechill the probe to the temperature you expect the substance to be at. So you could pre chill the probe in a glass of water & ice, so it is down to say 3-5C (or slightly below whatever the frio pouch claims). Once cooled, quickly put it in and see if it rises much.

I expect the pouches should be opened & closed as little and as quickly as possible, just like a fridge at home the air will rush out and be replaced by warmer air, which needs to be cooled all over again.

hubby being the Mythbuster type

A lot of the stuff they do is debated! I pick holes in a lot of their methodology, they even have episodes where the nerdy viewers like me recommend better ways to repeat the same experiments, without the "faulty logic"...

ncmc

A lot of the stuff they do is debated! I pick holes in a lot of their methodology, they even have episodes where the nerdy viewers like me recommend better ways to repeat the same experiments, without the "faulty logic"...

LOL, you DO sound like my hubby! He's got me at it now! We just sit wtaching the episodes picking holes in their tests :rolleyes: I'm now officially a nerd!

Unfortunately I made a booboo with the Frio pouches, I should have researched them more carefully. They don't claim to chill items to fridge temperature so while they work fine for insulin, they're not suitable for my hubby's drugs. I have emailed them though and they have agreed to give me a refund. I'll just have to resort to the ice packs for our trip next week. Pity, as the Frio pouches are so neat and handy.

bluedolphin

OP, it may be possible to ask someone on the flight if they could keep it in the fridge for your husband for the duration of the flight? Unless he needs it during the flight, they may be able to accommodate you. As far as I'm aware I don't think the drug you're talking about is very big so it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for them and they have fridges for all that lovely airplane food! :pac:

I have had to take nebulisers and carry lots of medications (including ones that needed to be refrigerated) on ferries and planes before and staff were always very helpful. Especially if it's a long haul flight, it's not a low-cost airline you're dealing with for whom getting to the destination is the priority, so customer service is important for these international companies because you've paid top dollar for the flights.

Now, there might be some reservations about it in these days of high security, but maybe you could ring ahead and bring a letter from your husband's doctor? Hope that might work for you...more importantly, enjoy

Poochie05

A friend of mine was told by airline staff they weren't allowed put anything in the fridge for passengers as it would contaminate the food and that is against food safety regulations - probably over the top but they were unmovable on the subject. They did offer to give him an icebucket with ice and a plastic bag to wrap his injections in so he spent 10 hours with an ice bucket at his feet. You'd be better off finding something that lasts long enough as suggested above so you don't have to rely on the goodwill of airline staff.

lucernarian

Food safety regulations my ass. They probably wouldn't think twice about the meal packages that they haul out of any auld truck onto a plane, yet a customer carrying medication cannot be accommodated?! Hah. "Health and Safety", the most overused term in customer relations. Usually by people who wouldn't recognise the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act if it hit them in the face. And I believe it's a pretty heavy document.

For the OP:
This sounds a little convoluted, but how about: leaving a thermos flask in a fridge for an hour or so, along with a litre of water. Put any medication into a small bottle or sealed bag or other watertight "container", then put this into the empty flask when everything is cool after an hour. Pour the cold water into the flask, and leave room for a few ice cubes at the top. Providing the ambient temperature wasn't much higher than room temperature, it should stay at fridge temperature for a few hours at least.