Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on blood transfusion service:an experience from a regional blood transfusion center

The unforeseen and uncertain life-threatening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected all areas of the human daily work schedule.This study was designed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood transfusion services and discuss the adopted confrontation measures for uninterrupted blood supply during the pandemic situation.The data on blood donation,blood component preparation,and issue from January 2019 to December 2022 were collected from the inventory registers of the RBTC,Delhi,India.Compared to the non-pandemic year 2019,during the year 2020,all variables decreased gradually.The observed maximum decrease in variables such as blood collection(–79.16%)in the month of October,blood issue(–71.61%)in the month of August,random donor platelets(RDP)preparation(–98.09%)in the month of October,RDP issue(–86.08%)in the month of September,fresh frozen plasma(FFP)preparation(–100%)in the month of October,and FFP issue(–96.08%)in the month of July with an annual decrease of–45.52%,–42.87%,–33.00%,–59.79%,–40.98%,and–54.48%,respectively,as compared to year 2019.Compared to year 2020,in year 2021,the annual increase in blood collection,blood issue,FFP preparation,FFP issue,RDP preparation,and RDP issue was+50.20%,+21.68%,+65.31%,+78.52%,+116.23%,and+213.30%,respectively.Our study results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected blood transfusion services at our blood bank.The adopted coping strategies to maintain the safe and uninterrupted blood transfusion chain at our blood bank gave us lessons for future preparedness if faced with a similar situation.

Prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections among various donor groups:A comparative analysis

BACKGROUND Transfusion transmissible infections(TTIs)are illnesses spread through contaminated blood or blood products.In India,screening for TTIs such as hepatitis B virus(HBV),hepatitis C virus(HCV),human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-I/II,malaria,and syphilis is mandatory before blood transfusions.Worldwide,HCV,HBV,and HIV are the leading viruses causing mortality,affecting millions of people globally,including those with co-infections of HIV/HCV and HIV/HBV.Studies highlight the impact of TTIs on life expectancy and health risks,such as liver cirrhosis,cancer,and other diseases in individuals with chronic HBV.Globally,millions of blood donations take place annually,emphasizing the importance of maintaining blood safety.AIM To study the prevalence of TTIs,viz.,HBV,HCV,HIV I/II,syphilis,and malaria parasite(MP),among different blood donor groups.METHODS The study assessed the prevalence of TTIs among different blood donor groups in Delhi,India.Groups included total donors,in-house donors,total camp donors,institutional camp donors,and community camp donors.Tests for HIV,HBV,and HCV were done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,while syphilis was tested with rapid plasma reagins and MP rapid card methods.The prevalence of HBV,HCV,HIV,and syphilis,expressed as percentages.Differences in infection rates between the groups were analyzed usingχ²tests and P-values(less than 0.05).RESULTS The study evaluated TTIs among 42158 blood donors in Delhi.The overall cumulative frequency of TTIs in total blood donors was 2.071%,and the frequencies of HBV,HCV,HIV-I/II,venereal disease research laboratory,and MP were 1.048%,0.425%,0.221%,0.377%,and 0.0024%,respectively.In-house donors,representing 37656 donors,had the highest transfusion transmissible infection(TTI)prevalence at 2.167%.Among total camp donors(4502 donors),TTIs were identified in 1.266%of donors,while community camp donors(2439 donors)exhibited a prevalence of 1.558%.Institutional camp donors(2063 donors)had the lowest TTI prevalence at 0.921%.Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in overall TTI prevalence,with total and in-house donors exhibiting higher rates compared to camp donors.CONCLUSION Ongoing monitoring and effective screening programs are essential for minimizing TTIs.Customizing blood safety measures for different donor groups and studying socio-economic-health factors is essential to improving blood safety.