A Retrospective Study of Screening of Common Transfusion Transmitted Infections in the Blood Bank of a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Transfusion of blood and blood components, as a specialized modality of patient management saves millions of lives worldwide each year and reduce morbidity. It is well known that blood transfusion is associated with a large number of complications, some are only trivial and others are potentially life threatening, demanding for meticulous pre-transfusion testing and screening particularly for transfusion transmissible infections (TTI). The priority objective of blood transfusion screening (BTS) is thus to ensure safety, adequacy, accessibility and efficiency of blood supply at all levels.The objective of the present study was to assess the seroprevalence and trend of transfusion transmitted infections (TTI) among voluntary and replacement blood donors in the blood bank of Father Muller Medical College Hospital, Mangalore. Methods: A retrospective review of donors record covering the period between January 2008 to December 2012 was analysed and all samples were screened for HIV, HBsAg, HCV, syphilis and malaria. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The overall prevalence of HIV, HbsAg, HCV, syphilis and malaria were 0.06%, 0.30%, 0.06%, 0.12% and 0.01% respectively. With the implementation of strict donor criteria and use of sensitive screening tests, it may be possible to reduce the incidence of TTI in the Indian scenario. Conclusion: All blood donations should be screened for TTI's, thus ensuring safe blood supply to the recipients. With the implementation of strict donor selection criteria, use of sensitive screening tests and establishment of strict guidelines for blood transfusion it may be possible to reduce the incidence of TTI in the Indian scenario.