Lucknow (The Hawk): Soon, technology developed at Lucknow's King George's Medical University (KGMU) will be implemented to eliminate dangerous viruses and germs that get through the current screening procedure and pose a risk to transfusion recipients.
"We are the first in Asia to introduce pathogen reduction technology (PRT) being used in the US, the UK, and Europe," said Prof. Tulika Chandra, head of the department of transfusion medicine at KGMU. "This, in addition to making blood safe for transfusion among patients, will also help reduce rejection rate among organ transplant patients."
When activated, the PRT can detect and neutralise a wide variety of pathogens. Blood carries additional viruses, such as dengue and chikungunya, and hazardous bacteria that are not examined before transfusion to a patient, despite the fact that screening with current technology is typically done for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Malaria, and Syphilis.
She said, "Platelet and plasma, the two blood components, are a reservoir of virus and bacteria, and this technology PRT is capable of eliminating infection from it. Also, it can eliminate WBC (white blood cells) from platelets, which are present in traces despite component separation."
The optimal temperature range for bacterial development is between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius, which is exactly the range in which platelets are stored. If you use PRT, you may expect a 99.9 percent success rate, as Chandra put it.
Some patients, such as those with thalassemia or other blood diseases, require regular blood transfusions, according to Prof. Chandra. Patients in this situation may regularly contract infections like dengue or chikungunya after receiving transfusions of blood that have only been tested for HIV, hepatitis (B and C), malaria, and syphilis.
People who need blood transfusions more regularly are at a higher risk, although the PRT can significantly lower that risk for them.
According to her, transplant patients would be the primary recipients of PRT whenever it is initiated. Patients who require regular transfusions of blood will be given the second priority.
(Inputs from Agencies)