Blood transfusion service is a vital component of hospital services. Keeping in mind the criticality of this function, Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute has adopted following strategies to ensure maximum efficiency of this department -

Reduction of unnecessary blood transfusion, 100% use of components so as to save blood and use every component as and when required.

Elimination of transfusion transmitted diseases and transfusion of safe blood. To maintain quality of blood and blood products, voluntary donors are taken. In private blood banks, where blood donation camp is not permitted by Government of India, the immediate family members are considered as replacement donors.

Apart from carrying out all mandatory tests (VDRL, Malaria, HIV I&II, Hep:Bs Antigen and Hept:C virus (HCV) as laid down by the Drug Controller of India for licensed Blood Banks, Kailash Hospital also conducts Hepatitis B core Antibody (Ani HBc Ab IgM + IgG) on every unit of blood to make the blood safer for transfusion.

These tests are conducted on the latest AXSYM Automatic Machine from Abbot, USA. Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute, Noida conducts Micro-particle Enzyme Immuno Assay (MEIA) on every unit of blood for HIV I&II, HBs Ag, Abtu GV cire Av & HCV Ab for screening of blood donors. MEIA method is preferred over EliSA method for following reasons -

• Very sensitive & specific
• Reliable results
• Highly reproducible and gives more confidence in reporting.

These days blood transfusion therapy has been converted into component therapy because very few require transfusion of whole blood. Whole blood is divided into three basic components, namely -

• RBC concentrate preserved at 4-6 deg. C temperature for 42 days.
• Plasma (FFP) preserved at -30 deg C for 1 year
• Platelet concentrate preserved at 22 deg C for 5 days.

The fourth component Cryoprecipitate can be prepared from frozen plasma (FFP) when required and can be preserved at -80 deg. C.

These components are purified into leuco-reduced component so as to avoid any blood transfusion reactions. Kailash Hospital, Noida has been preparing leuco-reduced components in Baxter OPTI-PAXCK II machine for the last 3 years by using Quad Bags from Baxter Company, USA. These Quad Bags are reaction free bags.

Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute, Noida has been preparing following mega pouches using Haemonetics MCS plus Model -

• Megapouches (300 m.l. PLT concentrate)
• Megapouches (600 m.l. of fresh plasma)

Single donor megapouches are preferred because the amount of platelets is equivalent to 6 small pouches, thus avoiding multiple donor transfusion. This is helpful in reducing the transfusion transmitted diseases. Also the alloimmunisation reaction can be reduced.

Single donor platelet concentrate were very useful in treating of Dengue cases during the recent out-break. Three Aphaeresis Cell Separators were working round the clock at Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute, Noida to provide necessary blood component to patients. The popularity of quality blood and blood products along with the best technique for making the blood more safe for transfusion at Kailash Hospital & Heart Institute, Noida had generated so much demand from all over UP as well as the neighbouring areas of Noida.

Dr. R.E. Chandnani, (MBBS, MD)