Increase in dengue cases pushes up demand for platelets in Mangaluru

Increase in dengue cases pushes up demand for platelets in Mangaluru

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 15, 2024: With an increase in dengue cases in Mangaluru, blood banks are seeing a rise in demand for platelets, which in turn, has made blood banks in the city ask more donors to come forward for voluntary blood donation.

Bhavani Shankar, Head of KMC Hospital Blood Bank, said that demand for platelets has increased in the last ten days. “More people are getting admitted to hospital following dengue symptoms, and there is an increase in instances of platelet transfusion. Some patients require about six units of platelets,” he said.

Sharath Kumar, Senior Specialist at the Government Wenlock Hospital Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, said the centre provided 120 units of platelets last week to patients admitted to hospitals in the city. “Five days is the shelf life of platelets concentrate. So there is a need for regular blood donation to meet the demand,” Dr. Kumar said. Blood banks are prompting organisations to hold blood donation camps on weekdays. Blood donors are also being called to blood banks for blood donation, he said.

The national guidelines for clinical management of dengue fever issued under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme states that platelet transfusion is not the mainstay of treatment in patients with dengue fever. Platelet transfusion may be done when the platelet level is less than 10,000 in the absence of bleeding manifestations. In case of systematic bleeding, the guidelines state that platelet transfusion may be needed in addition to blood transfusion.

The platelets are derived from the whole blood donated by random donors. About 50 ml of platelet is derived from one donor. Transfusion of this platelet concentrate is expected to raise platelets by about 7,000 in adults and 20,000 in paediatric patients.

During an emergency, a single donation procedure is followed where the platelet yield is about 300 ml, which would serve about three therapeutic doses. “Single donation can be done by donor twice a month. If there is a call for a single donation, donors should actively respond,” Dr. Kumar said.