At SRNH blood bank: ‘Jumbo’ platelets to help save lives
PRAYAGRAJ: The blood bank of the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital (SRNH) of the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College (MLNMC) will now provide ‘jumbo’ platelets for dengue patients needing them.
Sangam city recorded 926 dengue cases till Sunday and is facing an enhanced demand for platelets among patients suffering from dengue. Jumbo packs (Single Donor Apheresis Platelets) results in an increase of 50,000 platelets in a dengue patient.
This has become possible after the use of an Apheresis machine, which was installed in the blood bank of the hospital last year.
“This machine has come handy when we needed a large quantity of plasma during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and now that we have got the government-approved rate for the jumbo pack of platelets, we have started providing it,” said associate professor at the department of transfusion medicines at MLNMC, Dr Ravi Rani.
The government has fixed the rate of one unit of jumbo pack platelets at Rs 8,000 and this will be given to patients admitted in government hospitals. However, it will be completely free for patients of Thalassemia and those who are covered under Janani Suraksha Yojna of the central government.
Dr Ravi Rani says that this increases platelet count from 50,000 to 60,000 in just one unit and would be of immense help in terms of helping patients suffering from dengue.
There is a shortage of platelets due to the high demand and every effort is being made to provide platelets to all patients in the SRNH, she added.
Another benefit of using the Apheresis machine and segregating the platelets through it is that the donor just has to donate the platelets and the rest of the components of the blood can be transfused back to the donor.