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INTRODUCTION: Although coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic does not result in increased blood needs, blood supply can be considerably compromised due to the unavailability of blood donors. The objective was to share our experience about blood donation patterns and concerns on blood safety during COVID-19 pandemic in India.METHODS: This was a retrospective study of approximately 4.5 months of data including both lockdown period (LD) and LD phases. LD phase was further subdivided into four phases of varying durations. Data of blood collected and various reasons for deferral of prospective donors were analyzed. The effectiveness of mitigation strategies adopted to maintain adequate blood inventory was also assessed. Events in transfusion services during the LD were compared with the pre-LD (P-LD) phase.RESULTS: The mean collection per day for WB and SDP was reduced by 70% and 50%, respectively, compared to pre-LD. Approximately 23% of WB and 27% of SDPs were collected on an appointment basis during LD. The proportion of indoor voluntary blood donation was increased by 7–8 times during LD compared to P-LD. Approximately 2% of total prospective donors screened were deferred after thermal scanning and due to risk of being infected with COVID-19. Donor deferrals due to high-risk behavior increased significantly in the LD phase compared to P-LD period.CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the pattern of blood donation and blood safety. Transfusion services must develop appropriate plans to respond efficiently to various challenges posed by such pandemics.

BACKGROUND: One of the complications of chronic transfusions in thalassemia is the development of red cell alloimmunization. AIMS: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency, specificity of red cell alloantibodies, and factors influencing alloimmunization in multiply transfused thalassemia patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out prospectively on beta-thalassemia patients over 10 months. Plasma samples were used for antibody screening and identification using the column agglutination technique. Patients' clinical, laboratory, and transfusion details were obtained from hospital information system and patient files. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Continuous variables were reported as median and quartile, whereas categorical variables were provided as numbers and proportions. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 255 patients, 17 (6.6%) patients developed alloantibodies. Alloimmunized patients had significantly higher median ages at their first transfusions (1 year vs. 0.5 years; P = 0.042) than nonalloimmunized patients. Alloimmunized patients had significantly higher conjugated bilirubin (P = 0.016) and serum ferritin (P = 0.007). The majority of alloantibodies had specificity toward K antigen, followed by E, C, D, JKa, and JKb antigens. Alloimmunized patients received more units per year than nonalloimmunized patients (median, 30 vs. 24 units; P < 0.001). The average transfusion interval time between two successive transfusions showed a significant difference (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of alloimmunization in thalassemia patients in North India is relatively low. Since most of the alloantibodies belong to Rh and Kell blood group system, extended phenotype-matched blood for Rh and Kell will be helpful in further preventing or decreasing the development of alloantibodies in multiply transfused thalassemia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective In the setting of RhD-alloimmunized pregnancy, laboratory variations in critical titer (CT) of anti-D antibody may result in needless referrals or a compromised fetal outcome. Methods RhD-alloimmunized pregnant women were included. Fetal outcome was categorized based on cord hemoglobin and interventions required. For 3 commonly used CTs of 8, 16, and 32, sensitivity and specificity as well as positive and negative predictive values were computed. Results When compared with CTs of 16 and 32, we detected 6.9% and 19.4% more cases of moderate-severe hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn by using 8 as the CT. However, this leads to greater rate of unnecessary referral (12.1%, 10/82) than a CT of 16 (8.2%, 6/73) and 32 (4.9%, 3/61). A CT of 8 demonstrated 100% sensitivity, but 12.1% (10/82) of patients were referred needlessly. Conclusion Because of its 100% sensitivity, we advocate decreasing the CT to 8. However, this may lead to unwarranted referrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study was conducted to estimate prevalence of direct antiglobulin test (DAT) positivity and its impact on transfusion support in patients with thalassemia. Methods The DAT testing was performed for patients with β-thalassemia who received transfusion from November 2021 to March 2022. Elution was done for DAT-positive samples. Results Of 180 patients, 21 (11.6%) were DAT positive. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was present in 4 (19%) and IgG+C3d was present in 8 (38%). Only complement was present in 9 (42.8%) patients. The IgG-reactive DATs were associated with pan-reactive eluate. Patients who were DAT-positive had significantly higher levels of serum bilirubin, ferritin, and IgG than those who were DAT-negative. Conclusion Autoantibody formation in multiply transfused thalassemia patients is common and merits equal attention as alloimmunization. It is particularly important as DAT-positive red blood cells may undergo clinically significant hemolysis, which may increase the transfusion requirements with associated sequalae such as increased serum ferritin and splenomegaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The new cell separators make it simple to collect single donor platelets (SDP), although the platelet yield may vary depending on the cell separator used and donor-related clinical and laboratory variables. AIMS: This study aims to study the factors affecting SDP yield and corrected count increment (CCI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out at a tertiary care facility in northern India, over 4 years (May 2017-April 2020), data were retrieved and analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Categorical variables were presented as proportions, while continuous variables were presented as mean with standard deviation, P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: We found a positive correlation between predonation platelet count and yield (r = 0.243, P = 0.000). No such significant correlation was found with Hb concentration (r = 0.025, P = 0.720), age (r = 0.016, P = 0.820), sex (r = -0.038, P = 0.584), and weight (r = -0.025, P = 0.714). Maximum platelet yield and minimum time were seen with Trima. Only 39.3% (33/84) meet the 24 h CCI. The majority of patients did not meet the desired CCI could be due to the patients' clinical condition. On logistic regression, we found a significant association of 24 h CCI with product yield (odds ratio [OR] = 0.168, P = 0.015) and posttransfusion platelet count (OR = 0.454, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The only donor-related factor that influences yield is predonation platelet count, whereas 24 h CCI may depend on the clinical status of the patient and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very few studies in humans have investigated the laboratory evidences suggestive of transfusion-associated immunologic changes. In this prospective study, we examined the effects of perioperative blood transfusion on immune response, by measuring various cytokines production, namely, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and Fas Ligand (FasL). A total of 40 patients undergoing neurosurgery were randomly allocated into four groups: (a) no transfusion, (b) allogeneic non-leukofiltered transfusion, (c) prestorage leukofiltered transfusion, (d) autologous transfusion. Samples were collected before operation (day 0) and postoperative days (post-op) 1, 7, and 14. IFN-γ and IL-10 production capacity was measured in supernatant after whole blood culture and serum FasL levels in patients′ sera using commercially available ELISA kits. Change in ratios (cytokine value after PHA stimulation/control value) of IFN-γ and IL-10 and percentage change from baseline for serum FasL levels across different transfusion groups during the sampling period were calculated. There was an increase in IL-10 production in patients receiving allogeneic non-leukofiltered transfusion on days 1 and 7 (mean ratio 2.22 (± 2.16), 4.12 (± 1.71), 4.46 (± 1.97) on days 0, 1, and 7, respectively). Similarly there was a significant (P

Background: Despite the wide range of methods available for measurement of hemoglobin, no single technique has emerged as the most appropriate and ideal for a blood donation setup. Materials and Methods: A prospective study utilizing 1014 blood samples was carried out in a blood donation setting for quality evaluation of four methods of hemoglobin estimation along with cost analysis: Hematology cell analyzer (reference), HCS, CuSO4 method and HemoCue. Results: Mean value of HemoCue (mean ± SD = 14.7 ± 1.49 g/dl) was higher by 0.24 compared to reference (mean ± SD = 13.8 ± 1.52 g/dl) but not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). HemoCue proved to be the best technique (sensitivity 99.4% and specificity 84.4%) whereas HCS was most subjective with 25.2% incorrect estimations. CuSO4 proved to be good with 7.9% false results. Comparative cost analysis of each method was calculated to be 35 INR/test for HemoCue, 0.76 INR /test for HCS and 0.06-0.08 INR /test for CuSO4. Conclusion: CuSO4 method gives accurate results, if strict quality control is applied. HemoCue is too expensive to be used as a primary screening method in an economically restricted country like India.

BACKGROUND: Hepcidin-25, a polypeptide hormone, plays a major role in iron metabolism and is found to be reduced during iron deficiency; therefore, testing for hepcidin can be utilized as an indicator of bioavailability of iron. Globally, reference range values for hepcidin have been established in different communities. The aim of the present study was to establish the normal reference range values of serum hepcidin in Indian blood donors to fathom the baseline and reference point of hepcidin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 90 donors fulfilling the eligibility criteria were recruited in the study consisting of 28 males and 62 females. Blood samples collected were used to execute hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin, and hepcidin assays. Serum hepcidin-25 isoform was detected by a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Hb and ferritin were evaluated by the standard methods. RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of Hb level in males was 14.62 ± 1.34 g/dL and females was 13.33 ± 0.76 g/dL. The mean ± SD of ferritin level in males was 113 ± 56.12 ng/mL and females was 62.65 ± 40.8 ng/mL. Similarly, the mean ± SD of hepcidin level in male donors was 22.18 ± 12.17 ng/mL and female donors was 10.95 ± 6.06 ng/mL. The established reference range values of Hepcidin were 6.32–46.06 ng/mL for males and 3.44–24.78 for females. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that further studies with larger groups of donors are mandatory to produce reference values of hepcidin that can be précised to the whole populace in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past 30 years, pretransfusion tests have undergone considerable modification. In 1984, AABB recommended that the full cross match could be replaced by an abbreviated cross match in patients with negative antibody screen. However, before implementation of such a policy, issue regarding safety of T & S needs to be evaluated. Objectives: The aim of pretransfusion testing (PTT) is to ensure that enough red blood cells (RBCs) in the selected red cell components will survive when transfused. Results and Conclusion: We have, therefore in this study; evaluated safety of T & S procedure for PTT in comparison with conventional test tube cross match. The T & S procedure gave a safety of 91.6%. Also, the usefulness of the T & S was shown through the detection of unexpected antibodies in 0.75% (15 out of 2026) of cases.

Background and Aim : Quality assurance in blood banking includes active participation in the external quality program. Such a program offers valuable benefits to patient care, their safety, and an overall quality of laboratory practices. In the year 2002, we participated in the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) under the World Health Organization (WHO), Bureau of Laboratory Quality Standards, Thailand. Materials and Methods: In the current study we evaluated our EQAS test result of the past five years, from 2003 to 2007. Test results of all blood samples such as ABO grouping, D typing, antibody screening, antibody identification, and transfusion transmitted infection (TTI) testing were analyzed and documented. Results: Discordant results in one or more instances were observed with antibody identification, weak D testing, and tests for anti-HIV1/2 and HBsAg. Twice we failed to detect the ′anti-Mia′ antibody in the issued sample and that could be attributed to the absence of the corresponding antigen in the used cell panel. HBsAg was missed due to its critically low titer in the serum and the comparatively low sensitivity of our Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test kit. Conclusion: All these failures in the last five years have helped us to significantly improve our transfusion service in terms of performance evaluation, patient care and safety issues, and the overall quality of laboratory practices. We therefore recommend all laboratories and hospitals to participate in the EQAS program, which will definitely help them to improve from what they learn.

The application of flow cytometry (FC) is diverse and this powerful tool in used in multiple disciplines such as molecular biology, immunology, cancer biology, virology, and infectious disease screening. FC analyzes a single cell or a particle very rapidly as they flow past single or multiple lasers while suspended in buffered solution. FC has a great impact in the field of transfusion medicine (TM) due to its ability to analyze individual cell population and cell epitopes by sensitive, reproducible, and objective methodologies. The main uses of FC in TM are detection of fetomaternal hemorrhage, diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, quantification of D antigen, detection of platelet antibody, quality control of blood components, for example, residual leukocyte counts and evaluation of CD34-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells in stem cell grafts. In recent years, FC has been implemented as an alternative method for the detection and characterization of red cell autoantibodies in autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Many workers considered FC as a very good complement when aberrant expression of various erythrocyte antigens needs to be elucidated. It has been extensively used in the resolution of ABO discrepancies and chimerism study. FC has also been used successfully in various platelet immunological studies. In the recent past, FC has been used in several studies to assess the platelet storage lesions and elucidate granulocyte/monocyte integrity and immunology. FC analysis of CD34+ stem cells is now the method of choice to determine the dosage of the collected progenitor cells. The technique is vastly used to evaluate residual leukocytes in leukodepleted blood components. We conclude that flow cytometers are becoming smaller, cheaper, and more user-friendly and are available in many routine laboratories. FC represents a highly innovative technique for many common diagnostic and scientific fields in TM. Finally, it is the tool of choice to develop and optimize new cellular and immunotherapeutic trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Increasing demand of single donor platelet requires blood banks to expand the donor pool. A reassessment of donor deferral criteria for plateletpheresis is required to ensure that this increasing demand is met without compromising on product quality and donor safety. AIMS: (1) To list the various causes of SDP donor deferral. (2) To discuss various approaches to minimize it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of plateletpheresis donor deferral were collected from records retrospectively over a period of 4 years from January 2017 to December 2020. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: All statistical tests were performed using IBM SPSS software for Windows version 20. Categorical variables were presented as proportions, while continuous variables were presented as mean with standard deviation, mean calculated P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of the 7478 donors screened for plateletpheresis procedure, 3232 (43.2%) were deferred among which 3089 (42.5%) were male and 142 (63.1%) were female donors. Majority (96.5%) of deferral were temporary. These included low platelet count (47.4%) followed by poor venous access (22.4%) and low hemoglobin (Hb) (7.2%). Among the donors deferred for low Hb, 24.7% (58 out of 234) had Hb between 12 and 12.4 g%. Similarly, among donor deferred for low platelet count, 12% (184 out of 1532) had platelet count between 140 and 149 × 103/μl. CONCLUSION: There is potential for increasing the number of eligible plateletpheresis donors if the present donor selection criteria were relaxed to a minimum Hb of 12 g/dl and minimum platelet count of 140 × 103/μl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]