Page 75 - JSOM Fall 2025

and weight restrictions). Therefore, this project intends to ex- Only one article directly researched field-adapted plasma
pand on the JTS ARSC CPG and conduct a literature review to thawer systems, focusing on thaw kinetics and coagulation
identify optimal alternative plasma thawing devices based on factor preservation, which has immediate potential applica-
power consumption, weight, durability, portability, and time tions for ARSC teams. The remaining articles offered general
to thaw. Field-adapted plasma thawers and other commer- or supplementary information regarding performance capabil-
cially available plasma thawing systems will be analyzed to ities of both field-adapted and commercially available plasma
determine their suitability to meet the needs of ARSC teams. thawer systems. See Table 1 for a comparison table of each
device included in the review.
Methods
Helmer QuickThaw
The authors created a structured question framework to as- The Helmer QuickThaw is an FDA-approved clinical plasma
sist search strategies for primary articles of interest. Literature thawer commonly issued to U.S. Army Medical units. There
searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Google are three models available: the DH8, DH4, and DH2. The
Scholar. The following MeSH terms and keywords were used: QuickThaw uses a temperature-controlled circulating water
plasma thawer, FFP thawer, microwave plasma thawer, field- bath to thaw FFP and requires additional operating accesso-
adapted plasma thawer, and water bath FFP thawer. The au- ries such as a digital thermometer, plasma overwraps, chamber
thors also conducted an extensive gray literature search and covers, and bactericidal water additives. 5
a snowball search of the primary literature. Sixteen articles
were included after evaluating methodological quality, level of According to the manufacturer, the Helmer QuickThaw can
3
evidence, and application to the clinical question. See Figure 1 thaw a single unit of FFP in 10–16 minutes. Thaw time de-
(search flow diagram) for a visual representation of this pro- pends on the FFP volume and frozen shape. In pre-warmed
cess. An evidence table is available upon email request made to 37°C water, the DH8 demonstrates thaw times of 27.9 (SD
6
the corresponding author. 7.0) minutes. Thaw time increases to 32.5 (SD 2.9) minutes
6
in non-preheated water. Based on limited studies, the DH8
Literature Review demonstrated no statistically significant differences in hemo-
All articles included in the review were experimental studies, static preservation via coagulation assays compared to other
consisting of 15 quasi-experimental designs and 1 semi-blinded clinical plasma thawers.
randomized controlled trial (RCT). The authors assigned lev-
els of evidence to each article using the Joanna Briggs Insti- Slow Cooker
tute Levels of Evidence. The single RCT qualified as level 1 The slow cooker, or crock pot, is a culinary tool for creating
evidence; all others met level 2. Only one article examined the a water bath to thaw FFP. Slow cookers comprise three parts:
Helmer QuickThaw, slow cooker, electric tea kettle, and Meal- one heating element connected to power, a porcelain basin
Ready-To-Eat (MRE) heater. Two articles focused on sous vide within the heating element, and a porcelain or glass lid that
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warming and thaw kinetics, five articles evaluated dry-based keeps heat within the system. Slow cookers come in a variety
thawing systems, and eight articles investigated radio wave of sizes, with a capacity ranging between 2.8 to 7.5L. Slow
thawing methods. cookers typically have three settings: warm, low, and high

TABLE 1 Device Table
Dimensions
Device Weight, kg (WxDxH), inches Power, W
Clinical thawer
™
QuickThaw (Helmer Scientific)*
DH2 17.2 8×11×7.5 300
DH4 26.3 18.5×16.25×14.7 800
DH8 32.6 18.5×16.25×22 1200
Water-based thawers
Sous vide † 1.2 3.4×2.6×13.7 800–1200 ‡
Electric tea kettle † 1.1 8.9×6.3×9.6 1200–1500
Collapsable tea kettle † 0.63 6.5×6.3×2.1 700
Slow cooker (4.5-quart size) • Low setting: 75–150
†
3.9 11.4×9.4×14
• High setting: 150–210
MRE Heater* 1.5oz each 0.25×12×5.75 each N/A
Dry-based thawers
ZipThaw 202 (Fremon Scientific) 13.1 § 18.5×10.9×16.4 400 per chamber
™
†
Plasmatherm † 18.1 13.5×23.6×12.6 1600 (max)
Radio wave thawers
ARK Bio-Medical Microwave Plasma 20.4 26.25×21.75×13.25 1800
Defroster †
*Issued equipment to conventional U.S. Army Medical Units.
† Commercial devices that have not been purchased by the U.S. Army.
‡ Low watts once target temperature reached.
§ Handle for transportation.

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