With this, we have launched a new feature titled ‘Reflections,’ which will present views of leading medical experts on specific topics of the World Health Days.
In honour of World Blood Donor Day on June 14th, 2024, our editorial team solicited the views of doctors nationwide on blood donation.
Their views are presented here.
“The World Blood Donor Day is celebrated on the 14th of June to commemorate voluntary blood donors. The theme for 2024 is – 20 years of celebrating giving: thank you blood donors! This year we would like to thank not only our voluntary blood donors and camp organizers but also our clinician colleagues for understating the scarcity of blood, motivating more people to go ahead and donate blood but also for utilizing this precious resource judiciously with responsibility. Their small act of motivation leads to the patients/relatives being more compliant
to the advice given by blood bank. It thereby increases the chances of them coming forward to donate blood as well as motivating their friends & family to donate.”
– Dr. Ruhi Mehra is a Consultant in Transfusion Medicine and Blood Center In-charge at Lilavati Hospital & Research Center, Mumbai.
“Blood safety begins with Healthy Donors who are 18 – 60 years, with weight >45 kg, generally healthy, with normal vitals and Hb≥12.5g%. Women should not be pregnant, lactating or menstruating.
History and clinical examination should rule out diabetes, heart disease, high BP, cancer, bleeding/blood disorder, TB, asthma, allergies, liver/kidney disease, epilepsy, and HIV/STD risk.
Other important exclusions are
- Typhoid, Dog-Bite/Rabies vaccine or Hepatitis B Ig (in past 1 year)
- Tattoo, ear /skin piercing, received blood products, serious illness, major/minor surgery (in past 6 months.)
- Donated blood or had Malaria (in past 3 months)
- Any immunization (in past 1 month)
- Dental work (in past 72 hours)
- Medications (antibiotics, aspirin in past 48 hours)
- Alcohol intake (in past 24 hours).
- Cough/cold/sore throat (currently) All donated blood is tested for Hepatitis B/C, Malaria, HIV and venereal diseases. If the donor wants, they can be informed confidentially in case of any positive result.”
– Dr Niti Singhal (MD, DNB, PDCC) is a Senior Consultant – Pathology at Medanta, Lucknow.
“The field of blood donation is undergoing a revolution, with several promising advancements. Knowing the patient’s blood group on a molecular level prevents adverse transfusion events. Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms can optimize the separation of red blood cells, platelets, and plasma, ensuring efficient and high-quality blood components. Lifespan of blood products have been extended with recent breakthroughs in cold storage technologies and preservative solutions. The advent of remote monitoring systems allows healthcare providers to track patients’ blood parameters in real-time, post-transfusion. Researchers are exploring ways to create universal blood types by modifying red blood cells to eliminate antigens that cause rejection. Additionally, scientists are developing techniques to grow red blood cells from stem cells. Ongoing research into blood substitutes with innovations such as synthetic oxygen carriers and haemoglobin-based oxygen carriers hold promise as viable alternatives to traditional blood transfusions. While still in the early stages, these breakthroughs hold the potential to eliminate blood shortages and improve transfusion safety for patients with rare blood types or complex medical conditions.”
– Dr Tapti Mohapatra is a Consultant and Head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
Kind Attention
The next feature or Reflections will be on World Sickle Cell Day on June 19. The Indian Practitioner invites medical experts in these domains to share their views through a 50-100-word write-up. Kindly send your views, along with a passport-size photo and a brief bio, to theindianpractitioner@gmail.com by June 18.