The Department of Transfusion Medicine at KIMSHEALTH, Kottayam is a NABH-accredited and licensed Blood Centre. We work round the clock tirelessly to help patients in need of blood. The department has all the processes and protocols in place to meet the evolving needs of our patients and clinicians alike.

To achieve the objective of safe and efficient blood collection, component separation, and storage, we have equipped ourselves with state-of-the-art infrastructure. We are only a few of the centres in the country with an NABH accreditation given in isolation. We received our NABH accreditation in 2012, and since then, we are continuously receiving this accreditation to date. This is a testament to our commitment to the highest standards of safety and quality.

To encourage voluntary donations, we offer free valet parking for donors coming to our centre. We also provide complimentary annual health checkups if you donate more than three times a year. Our clinical outcomes reflect our commitment to safety. The annual incidence rates of allergic reactions and FNHTR (Febrile Non-Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions) are just 0.17% and 0.14%, respectively. These rates are lower than various national and international benchmarks, reinforcing our commitment to excellence in transfusion medicine.

Our Highlights

• 100% blood component therapy ensured for all patients
• 100% NAT (Nucleic Acid Testing) screened blood components for enhanced safety
• An additional layer of safety in TTI (Transfusion Transmitted Infections) screening through NAT technology
• Zero incidence of ABO mismatch transfusions to date
• Active participant in the National Hemovigilance Programme
• State-of-the-art treatments offered, including CAR-T cell apheresis for oncology patients
• Universal leukodepletion - performed for all PRBC (Packed Red Blood Cell) units
• Peripheral blood stem cell collection and cryopreservation are available
• Advanced regenerative therapies, including PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin)
• HLA crossmatching facilities to support both cadaveric and live organ transplants
• Comprehensive flow cytometry services, including CD34 enumeration, CD4, CD19, CD20 counts, and diagnostic panels for acute leukemia and lymphoma

Our Treatments

a. Donor Services

• Comprehensive care and assessment for voluntary blood and apheresis donors.
• Blood donor Counselling and Pre-medical examination
• Blood Collection
• Donor Apheresis—Single Donor Platelets
• Granulocyte collection

b. Component Preparation and Processing

• Processing of whole blood into safe, high-quality blood components for transfusion.
• Component Separation and Processing
• Leukodepleted Cellular Blood Components
• Irradiated Blood Components
• Washed Cellular Components

c. Blood Grouping and Compatibility Testing

• Ensuring transfusion safety through accurate blood typing and antibody testing.
• Blood grouping and Typing
• Major and minor crossmatch
• Antibody screening
• Antibody Typing
• Antibody Identification
• Minor Phenotyping
• Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT)
• Monospecific DAT

d. Advanced Cellular Therapies

Specialised cellular collection and preservation services for haematology and oncology needs.

• Peripheral Stem Cell collection
• Cryopreservation
• CAR-T cell apheresis

e. Therapeutic Procedures

Innovative transfusion-based therapies for treating complex medical conditions.

• Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
• Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM)

f. Regenerative Therapies

Biological therapies aimed at tissue repair and healing.

• Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
• Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF)

g. Diagnostic Support

• Advanced immune and haematological profiling for clinical decision-making.
• Flow cytometry facilities

h. Advanced Screening Technology

Our Blood Centre employs a dual screening methodology to ensure maximum safety:

• Advanced serological method (ECI) for infectious markers screening
• State-of-the-art Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) technology to enhance patient and donor safety
• TTI Screening using Enhanced Chemiluminescence (ECI) Technology

i. Blood Component Preparation

The Blood Centre is equipped with automated blood component extractors to prepare various blood components:

• Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBC)
• Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)
• Platelet concentrates
• Cryoprecipitate

j. Specialised Blood Products

We provide specialised blood products tailored to specific patient needs:

• Leukoreduced Packed Red Blood Concentrates (LDRBC) and platelets (LD platelets)
• Single Donor Platelets (SDP) with platelet additive solution (PAS)
• Single donor plasma
• Irradiated blood components
• Washed blood components

k. Therapeutic Services

Our Blood Centre supports various therapeutic procedures:

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and platelet gel preparation for therapeutic procedures
• Dedicated apheresis machines for stem cell collection
• Therapeutic plasma exchange
• Regenerative Medicine support with PRP and Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) treatments

l. Diagnostic Capabilities

The Blood Centre uses advanced technology for immunohematology testing:

• Gel and bead technology for blood grouping, antiglobulin testing, crossmatching, and antibody titration
• DAT monospecific characterization
• Commercial red cell panel for identification of clinically significant irregular antibodies
• Rh and Kell phenotyping for multi-transfused patients
• Flow cytometry platform for stem cell enumeration, Leukemia panel, Lymphoproliferative disorders panel, and HLA crossmatch.