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Why Pre-Analytics Begins with Transport, Not in the Lab
Some biological samples are sensitive to temperature. If such a sample cools down on its way to the laboratory, it changes before the first measurement even begins.
The analysis result then depends not only on the lab, but on the journey before it. This is exactly where active warm transport comes in: it keeps the sample at a constant 37°C from collection to analysis.
The Problem: Everyone Thinks of the Cold Chain, Hardly Anyone of the Warm Chain
For many samples, cooling is standard practice. But for a smaller yet important group, the opposite applies: they must remain warm throughout. If the temperature drops during transit, sample integrity is no longer guaranteed.
The tricky part: the drop happens silently. A transport container without active temperature control gives no feedback. At the destination, nobody can say with certainty whether the 37°C were actually maintained over the entire route.
What the Literature Shows
The data is more conclusive than one might expect. One study on compliance with the 37°C chain found that only about 36 % of participating laboratories actually ensured continuous warm transport (*Vermeersch et al., 2008). In nearly two-thirds of cases, the chain was not reliably maintained.
Another study compared the transport of temperature-sensitive samples with and without an active warm transport device. The proportion of correctly handled samples increased from 34 % to 95 % (*Nahm, 2012). The difference was not in the laboratory itself, but solely in the temperature management during transport.
Both figures tell the same story: transport is a real, measurable weak point in pre-analytics. And it is solvable.
Why Passive Solutions Reach Their Limits
The obvious reflex is a well-insulated box, perhaps with a heat accumulator. That dampens the temperature drop for a while.
But a passive box cannot do two things: it cannot reheat during longer distances or in cooler surroundings. And it cannot provide evidence that the temperature was maintained. It stores heat until it is used up. What happens afterwards remains invisible. For samples where every half-degree matters, that is not enough.
Actively Controlled, Not Just Dampened
*SteadyCube takes a different approach. The device heats actively and continuously regulates the temperature via a PID controller. The setpoint remains constant at 37°C (±1°C), even in cooler surroundings and without a mains connection. A replaceable battery lasts up to 10–12 hours.
SteadyCube is therefore more than a container that stores heat. It maintains the temperature actively, rather than merely conserving it.
The Second Part That Is Often Missing: the Evidence
Maintaining the temperature is one half. The other is being able to prove it. SteadyCube automatically and continuously logs the temperature profile in a CSV file, minute by minute, over the entire transport duration. At the destination, the sample is not the only thing available, but also the proof that it was kept at 37°C throughout. No manual intervention, no reliance on a gut feeling.
For quality assurance in laboratories and healthcare facilities, this evidence is precisely the difference between „presumably fine“ and „demonstrably fine“.
In Short
Do you transport temperature-sensitive samples and want to find out whether SteadyCube fits into your workflow?
Why not arrange a no-obligation meeting with us?
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*Sources: Vermeersch et al., 2008 – Compliance with the 37 °C transport chain (~36 %). Nahm, 2012 – Proportion of correctly handled samples with active warm transport (34 % → 95 %).
