As platelet donation is vital to surviving and fighting cancer, chronic diseases, dengue and traumatic injuries, Apollo Hospitals in Guwahati has become the first centre in Assam to draw platelets from single donor.
Dr. Ashish Malakar, the CEO of Apollo Hospitals said they got approval on January 10 from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to operationalise the Platelet Apheresis machine. “We got the equipment couple of years back, but we could not operationalise it because we could not get the license,” he said.
The CEO of the hospital said since the licensing authority was not based in Guwahati, the entire process was delayed. “The licensing process became easier for us after the DCGI set up its sub regional office in Guwahati,” he said.
“Now we will try to save as many lives possible in terms of platelet requirements. There are many reasons why platelets are required for various types of treatment modules,” Dr. Malakar said, adding that the patients will now be benefitted because we can give concentrated amount of the platelet because it will be a single donor.
The healing efficacy of the patients will also be enhanced because of single donor, the CEO of the premier hospital said. Single donor platelet by apheresis is the name of the procedure, Dr. Dipa Bhuyan, the doctor in-charge of the Blood Bank of Apollo Hospital, Guwahati, said.
The machine (Trima accel automated blood collection system) would draw the required quantity of platelets from a single donor and pumps back the rest of the blood components to the donor through the same vein.
So far, patients in Assam have been getting infusion of random donor platelets (RDPs). “We have been collecting platelets from four to six donors for preparation of one therapeutic dose of platelet. But now, we can produce the therapeutic doses from one single donor,” Dr. Bhuyan said.
“This is definitely a positive development, and we would try our best to provide better treatment to patients because single donor platelets (SDPs) have more efficacy than RDPs and patients regain their platelet count faster,” she said.
Dengue and hemorrhagic fever patients will be greatly benefitted from the new facility in the hospital.