Calcutta Med College to prepare directory of rare blood groups

Kolkata: In a unique move, the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) has decided to prepare a directory of rare blood groups to meet the growing demands of blood of various groups. During the pandemic there was a fall in blood collection as the number of donation camps has gone down.

The proposed directory will contain a list of blood of various blood groups. There will also be data about the rare blood groups. The new project will immensely help the patients with rare bloods and disseminate information at the right time. The directory will also provide information about the rare blood groups like Bombay positive, Bombay negative, Kell, Kidd, Duffy.

The department of Blood Transfusion and Hematology at the CMCH will carry out a detailed survey regarding the rare blood groups.

The entire project will be conducted by the CMCH in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The CMCH has already introduced 'Patient Blood Management System' which will help the hospital to extract blood from the patients with very rare blood groups beforehand and infuse his/her own blood while conducting surgeries later. Under the new system, the hospital will extract the blood and preserve it.

The blood will be infused on the same patient while performing any surgeries. It will be done only in case of those patients who have very rare blood groups. Hospitals face difficulties in case of rare blood group patients. In such cases, blood would be extracted from the patient much before the stipulated date of surgery so that the patient's life can be saved if there is a requirement of blood. The idea has been mooted by the Hematology and Blood Transfusion department of the CMCH.