We, at Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital, Parel, Mumbai are committed to provide safe, appropriate and good quality blood and its components to all patients as per Quality Standards and the latest developments in the field of Transfusion Medicine, ensuring availability to any patient in need of transfusion. Our aim is also to ensure and promote rational use of blood components and giving training to all the clinicians regarding the same. Continuous education and training to blood bank staff and resident doctors shall be given to keep them updated about the latest developments in the field of Transfusion Medicine.

The Department of Transfusion Medicine is committed to provide Quality Medical Care to all its patients. This can be achieved by:

1. Continuously enhancing the Quality of its Human Resources through Training and Development
2. Staying contemporary with all its developments in the field of Transfusion Medicine.

We serve all patients irrespective of caste, religion, gender and age and fulfill his/her requirements of blood and blood components including apheresis platelets and apheresis granulocytes during all times including emergencies and in the event of any disaster whatsoever. The scope of Quality Management System applies to all the activities of the Department including blood collection including blood collection, public relation and community awareness programmes, testing, processing into components, issue, quality assurance, human resource development and equipments.

The Department of Transfusion Medicine ( originally The Bombay Municipal Blood Centre – Shantilal Mathuradas Blood Centre) of Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital came into existence on 1st January 2009, with the main objective of starting Postgraduate course in Transfusion Medicine, and also providing quality medical care to patients by dispensing safe blood and blood components , performing therapeutic procedures, advanced apheresis procedures , keeping pace with the recent developments and advances in Transfusion Medicine and discharging its responsibility to voluntary blood donors. The postgraduate course (M.D. Transfusion Medicine) started in the year 2010. At the time of establishment of the department following were the faculty :

• Dr. Jayashree Sharma: Professor and Head
• Dr. Charusmita Modi: Associate Professor
• Dr. Swarupa Bhagwat: Assistant Professor

This has widened the horizons of “blood banking” from a mere support service to an academic department keeping pace with the ever-expanding field of transfusion medicine.

Our blood bank is the largest blood bank in Mumbai and one of the largest blood centres in Asia. More than 36,000 units of blood are collected annually and separated into components: Red Cell Concentrates, Plasma, Platelet Concentrates and Cryoprecipitate. It is associated with the National Plasma Fractionation Centre (NPFC), an autonomous institute located in K.E.M. Hospital, which manufactures plasma products like albumin, immunoglobulins and coagulation factor concentrates.

The Blood Bank of K.E.M. Hospital is licensed by Drug Controller General of India and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) , Maharashtra. It is also a member of the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) and Federation of Bombay Blood Banks (FBBB).

It is also accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH), Quality Council of India, New Delhi.

Blood is a precious therapeutic modality since it is obtained from human source. It cannot be manufactured in factories. A human being ONLY can donate blood for another human being. Besides being a commitment towards society, blood donation gives a feeling of immense satisfaction to the donor. Voluntary blood donation motivated solely by humanitarian considerations is undoubtedly the safest and most effective way of providing blood of assured quality.

The donated blood unit is separated into components: Red Cell Concentrate, Platelet Concentrate, Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and cryoprecipitate. These blood components are issued to 4 different patients as per the clinical needs. Thus, a single unit of blood can save lives of FOUR patients.

“Plateletpheresis” is a special procedure in which the donor donates only platelets. These platelets are lifesaving for patients who suffer from bleeding due to monsoon related illnesses like malaria and dengue. They are a boon for patients with blood cancers and aplastic anemia who have low platelets. Patients undergoing heart surgery also benefit from these platelet products. Platelet donation facility is available in the Department of Transfusion Medicine for the benefit of patients who are admitted in KEM Hospital.

Being a tertiary care public hospital, with superspeciality facilities, patients from all over India come to KEM Hospital for treatment of various diseases many of which require blood. The requirement of blood and blood components is about 250 units per day at K.E.M. Hospital.

WE APPEAL TO THE SOCIETY TO COME FORWARD AND DONATE BLOOD AND PLATELETS FOR THE NEEDY PATIENTS AND SAVE THEIR LIVES.

For blood and platelet donation, Contact: 022-24135189, 022-24107421

If you are between 18 and 65 years of age, weighing more than 45 kg and are healthy, you can donate blood. For platelet donation, the minimum weight should be 55 kg. You should have eaten a non-oily healthy breakfast/ meal within 4 hours before coming for blood donation. Additionally, the doctors in the blood bank will explain to you the benefits of as well as the eligibility criteria for blood donation.

Under the supervision of the Faculty, technical supervisors, technicians, medical social workers, staff nurses, clerical staff and support staff are working in various sections of the department.

• Collection of blood from donors:

The Department collects blood from voluntary blood donors . More than 150 blood donation camps are conducted annually with various voluntary organizations, colleges, corporate offices and many more. Besides this, blood is also collected from blood donors who come to the blood bank for donation. The annual blood collection at the blood bank is 36,000 units

• Providing properly grouped and crossmatched blood
  All blood units are processed for cell and serum grouping by an automated computerised microwell blood grouping system. Serum grouping confirms findings of cell grouping and also detects rare atypical antibodies. Confirmatory testing (Du test) is done on all units which test as Rh negative to rule out weak or partial Rh groups.
• Detection of transfusion transmitted infections – HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis and Malaria
  Each and every blood unit collected is tested. Detection of anti-HIV-1 & -2 and Hepatitis is done by sensitive ELISA kits using automated washers and computerised ELISA readers.
• Ensuring optimal utilisation of blood by preparing blood components
  Almost all the blood collected is separated into the various blood components as depicted in the process flow chart below. The Blood Bank has sophisticated equipments viz. Special, large, refrigerated programmable centrifuges and automated plasma expressors as well as experienced staff for the separation of these components in the closed-system sterile PVC blood bags.
• Proper preservation of blood
  All blood units are preserved at 2-6 ° C, in a well-designed walk-in cooler (Cold Room) equipped with a continuous temperature monitor and alarm facility. Plasma and Cryo-precipitate are preserved in large freezers maintaining temperature below -30° C, while platelet concentrates are kept on a special rotator for continuous slow agitation which is essential for their proper functioning.
• Prompt and appropriate disposal of unsafe blood
  All units of blood suspected to harbour infectious agents or be sub-optimal for any reason are carefully autoclaved at the Blood Bank and destroyed by incineration at the Municipal incinerator.
• Promptly provide blood, round the clock

The Blood Bank crossmatches and issues blood and components continuously, all the twenty-four hours, thus making it available during all the emergency hours.

• Antihuman globulin crossmatch using gel cards is performed for transfusion-dependent thalassaemia patients. These patients are multi-transfused, hence are prone to develop alloantibodies. Antiglobulin crossmatch helps ruling out these antibodies and thus, ensures a safe transfusion.

• Plateletpheresis: The blood bank has two apheresis machines which are used for the purpose of plateletpheresis. It is a special procedure by which only the platelets are separated from the donor and the rest of the components i.e. red cells and plasma are infused back into the donor.

These platelets (also called Single Donor Platelets or SDP) are life saving for patients with haematological disorders, monsoon related illnesses and patients of cardiac surgery.

• Therapeutic plasmapheresis: for patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis and other clinical conditions with indications.

• Peripheral Blood Stem Cells:Peripheral blood stem cells are also collected from patients of multiple myeloma, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma etc.and are transfused back to the patients which is called PBSC transplant.
• Granulocytapheresis: Granulocytes are selectively collected from donors by apheresis technology and transfused to patients of aplastic anemia etc.

One of the prime objectives of the department is to provide didactic and practical training in all aspects of transfusion and transplantation technology so as to create well-trained manpower in the field who could operate a well-organized blood transfusion services in various medical colleges and hospitals in the country.

M.D. (Transfusion Medicine):

This academic program provides training in all aspects of transfusion medicine including blood center operation, patient transfusion service, donor and therapeutic apheresis, thalassaemia and haemophilia management, viral screening and immunohematology. The students receive extensive training in running a large hospital- based transfusion service (presently managing transfusion services of 2200 bedded K.E.M. Hospital)

During training, the students work as Junior Residents rotating through different divisions of the department such as blood donor area, blood grouping and crossmatching, TTI screening laboratory, blood component preparation area, immunohematology laboratory, , apheresis, Quality Control Laboratory, outdoor blood donation drives etc. In addition, the students are posted in allied departments like National Institute of Immunohematology, Clinical hematology, anesthesia, pathology, microbiology, BMT Unit in ACTREC

Regular extensive teaching activities are conducted in the Department.

Every week journal clubs, case presentations, seminars, hemotherapy case discussions are presented by the postgraduate students. Interactive sessions and lectures are taken by the faculty. Practical assignments are also given to the students. Formative assessments are conducted regularly every 6 months for the postgraduate students.

Dr. Geeta Paranjape, Transfusion Medicine Consultant from Carter BloodCare, Texas, USA delivered lectures on Transfusion Medicine topics as a visiting faculty to the Department in the year 2009.

The students are also involved in conducting regular audits, quality control procedures and fulfilment of accreditation requirements of the department.

Students are encouraged and motivated to present papers and posters and participate in quiz competitions in various conferences.

The department is also involved in teaching the M.B.B.S. students, students pursuing postgraduation (M.D. /M.S. etc.), DMLT, BPMT, nursing and various trainees and observers from different institutions.

• First centre in Mumbai to start postgraduate course in Transfusion Medicine with annual intake of two students starting from the year 2010.
• In addition to the departmental teaching activities, telemedicine teaching-learning sessions are carried out in collaboration with SGPGI ,Lucknow and SRMC, Chennai.
• The postgraduate students have won prizes at National Conferences.
• First public sector medical college and teaching hospital blood bank in Maharashtra to be accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH).
• The department is designated as Apex Training Centre in Western India for training of clinicians, BTOs, technicians, nursing staff, and paramedical staff by NACO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• First Centre in Maharashtra to participate in and report to the Hemovigilance Program of India, National Institute of Biologicals, NOIDA.
• Since its inception in the year 2009, the department has conducted many CMEs including the CME on “Rational Use of Blood Components” in the 90th year of the institution.
• Plateletpheresis and therapeutic plasmapheresis are being performed in the department which has proven to be a life-saving therapeutic modality for needy patients.
• First public sector medical college and teaching hospital in Maharashtra to perform granulocye-apheresis for patient of aplastic anemia with sepsis.

The department is well –equipped to manage disasters; natural (floods resulting in leptospirosis, dengue and malaria etc., earthquake victims) or man-made (bomb-blast and terrorist attack victims).