Pfizer double-checks CO2 incubators with Geotech portable gas analyser

Pfizer quality checks 25 medical incubators with a Geotech G100 CO2 incubator gas analyser to confirm CO2 environments are as required – taking just two minutes for each. The medical incubators, kept at 37 degrees Celsius and five percent carbon dioxide (CO2), are manufacturer-fitted to regulate themselves and display their environments. “Now we can double check and every month we do a QC check to be sure the CO2 is at five percent,” said Tim Stroud, associate scientist in the Primary Pharmacology Group at Pfizer in Sandwich, Kent.

Using the Geotech G100, supplied by GEM Scientific, Pfizer found some variations of up to three percent in CO2 concentration, mainly as a result of frequent opening and closing of incubator doors. Identifying this led to fine-tuning and ensured target CO2 concentrations were maintained.

With checks initially made every two weeks, the G100 confirmed Pfizer’s 25 incubators are all performing as set up and verifies CO2 concentration are as displayed on the front. Soon the fortnightly checks will be made monthly as repeated readings confirm each incubator’s performance. “Checking an incubator by attaching the G100 to a sample port only takes a couple of minutes so we can do all 25 within an hour,” said Tim Stroud.

“We keep notes and a log of the readings on a spreadsheet so we can track how each incubator is performing over time. If we repeatedly had to adjust the level it may indicate that there was something for an engineer to attend to on the incubator,” he said. “What prompted us to buy the G100 was some variable data we had been getting from an experiment, which we thought could be due to fluctuating CO2 concentrations and we wanted to determine if that was the case. We are also able to show colleagues, when checking any ‘strange’ experimental results, if the incubator environment was as required at the time of running their experiment,” he confirmed.

Using a portable independent incubator gas analyser is new to Tim Stroud’s department who said, “Using the G100 is very easy, so is calibration and is simply explained in the user manual.” Currently calibration is done using ambient air but Pfizer plans in future to use canisters of five percent CO2 calibration gas.

The Geotech G100 CO2 Incubator portable gas analyser with built in moisture removal for increased stability can optionally measure oxygen (O2), humidity and top and bottom temperatures simultaneously with twin temperature probes. The G100 can also download via a USB PC/Internet cable. More: www.geotech.co.uk/g100.php

Contacts:
• GEM Scientific: T: 01924 444 577 sales@gemscientific.co.uk
• Geotech: T: 01926 338111 sales@geotech.co.uk