The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Tiruchi hospital to get blood separator

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Monday, Nov 13, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tiruchi hospital to get blood separator

R. Krishnamoorthy

It is a Rs.30-lakh project

TIRUCHI: Annal Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital here has been top-listed by the Government for sanction of Blood Component Separator costing Rs. 30 lakh, according to official sources.

This equipment, used for separating Red Blood Corpuscles, plasma, fresh frozen plasma and cryo precipitate from blood, is now available in seven places in the State, including three in Chennai and one each in Madurai, Coimbatore and Thanjavur.

A multiple equipment, it consists of two air-conditioned centrifuge units, a machine, plasma separator and agitator.

Poor to benefit

With the facility in place, poor patients in need of blood components will be spared of the trouble of travelling to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.

In anticipation of receiving the equipment, the Medical Officer of the Blood Bank at the Tiruchi hospital, U.B. Padmanabhan, underwent training in separation techniques at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.

The advantage of having this facility is optimisation of the donated blood.

A unit of blood can benefit four persons. RBC is transfused for patients with low haemoglobin levels and platelets are used for treating dengue and haemorrhagic viral diseases while plasma is vital for treating debilitating illness.

Likewise, fresh frozen plasma and cryo precipitate are used to arrest uncontrolled bleeding in the field of surgery and liver disorders and haemophilia.

Another advantage is the lengthy shelf life of blood components.

Barring plasma and RBC, which could be stored for only 5 days and 35 days respectively, fresh frozen plasma and cryo precipitate have a shelf life of over 2 years.

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