Cold storage is used in a broad array of medical settings. It is used in everything from proper medication storage to use in diagnosing disease. If patient samples are not properly refrigerated they will quickly deteriorate and become contaminated. Cold storage rooms are located in every modern hospital setting. Sometimes entire testing labs are inside of cold rooms. By being able to lower the temperatures in these special rooms, bacterial growth is easier to control resulting in less cross contamination. This type of storage also prevents patients from having to undergo multiple procedures to obtain new samples. Samples can be preserved and stored for long periods of time in the correct temperatures. Cold storage can range from small medication storage units, which are essentially small refrigerators, to the large labs mentioned above. Cold storage slows the process of decomposition, allowing for them to be shipped to specialized testing facilities intact. The use of cold storage systems enables scientists to preserve rare specimens and human remains for testing at later dates. This can aid in forensic investigation and medical studies.
