Project Description: 

Whole blood is comprised of red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Due to short storage times, blood is a limited resource with a high demand. Currently, blood may only be stored for 35 days due to an increase in the acidic wastes of the metabolic processes that blood undergoes over time. The aim of this project is to develop a solution for the blood storage problem by innovating a blood collection bag that can store blood for longer than 35 days. The design of this solution is a bag made of PVC which is the same material used in current bags. The differentiating factor of the HemoGoblin bag is the introduction of a blister or inner pocket. This inner pocket will contain an additive which, when released by squeezing the pouch, will reduce the acidity of the blood. This will allow for the blood to be stored longer and at a better quality. Testing indicated that the durability of the material was more than sufficient with a less than 5% permanent deformation after over 45 minutes. Also, force testing of the inner pocket indicated that an average force of approximately 1 kilogram is required to administer the additive. Conclusively, the HemoGoblin bag is sufficient to house the additive and 500 mL of whole blood. Future steps would involve determining the exact additive to use and conducting blood testing on whole blood samples.