The Department of Transfusion Medicine at KIMSHEALTH Hospital Trivandrum 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 treatment

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

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

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

Advanced Cellular Therapies

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

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

Therapeutic Procedures

Innovative transfusion-based therapies for treating complex medical conditions.

• Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
• Rotational Thromboelastometry (ROTEM)

Regenerative Therapies

Biological therapies aimed at tissue repair and healing.

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

Diagnostic Support

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flowcytometry Laboratory

Flowcytometry is a cutting edge technology that analyses the physical and chemical properties of cells or particles in a fluid as they pass through a laser beam

Our state of the art flowcytometry lab provides advanced diagnostic solutions, enables accurate detection of blood disorders, immune deficiency and cancer markers, all with precision and speed.

Why choose KIMSHEALTH Flowcytometry Lab

• Advanced technology
• Expert team
• Accurate results
• Quick turn around time
• Comprehensive panels

Applications in patient care:

• Oncology
• Transplantation
• Infectious diseases
• Immunodeficiency diseases

Services Offered

• HLA Flow crossmatch
• Stem cell CD34 enumeration
• Acute leukemia panel
• Chronic lymphoproliferative disorder / CLPD Panel
• CD 4/8 counts
• CD 19 and CD 20 counts
• Lymphocyte subset analysis (TBNK)

Test description

a. HLA Flowcrossmatch

HLA flow crossmatch (FCXM) is a test used to assess compatibility between a donor and recepient.It evaluates whether the recipeint has antibodies against donor human leukocyte antigens, which could lead to organ rejection post transplant. FCXM has much more sentisitvity than CDC crossmatch

b. Stem cell CD34 enumeration

CD34 stem cell enumeration by flowcytometry is used to quantify CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells in the blood sample. It helps to evaluate,

• To evaluate the suitability of stem cell donors or grafts for transplantation.
• To quantify CD34 cells collected during peripheral blood stem cell mobilization or harvest to ensure an adequate dose for transplantation.

c. Acute leukemia panel

Acute leukemia panel is a diagnostic test used to evaluate and classify leukemia specifically acute leukemia. This panel uses flowcytometry to identify and quantify abnormal cells in bone marrow, blood or other tissue by analyzing the expression of specific surface and intracellular markers.

It can be used:

• to identify leukemia subtypes based on immunophenotyping
• to classify leukemia and differentiate it from lymphoma
• to assess markers associated with prognosis and guide treatment decisions
• to identify targeted markers for therapy for monoclonal antibody treatments

d. Chronic lymphoproliferative disorder / CLPD Panel

The chronic lymphoproliferative disorder (CLPD) panel or Lymphoma panel by flowcytometry is a diagnostic test designed to evaluate lymphoid malignancies. It helps in evaluating and sub categorize non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It can be used

• to confirm or rule out chronic lymphoproliferative disorders
• to distinguish between reactive lymphocytosis and malignant lymphoproliferation
• to identify cell surface markers that indicate the aggressiveness of the disease.

e. CD4/8 counts

The CD4/8 count is performed to quantify specific types of T lymphocytes (T helper and cytotoxic) in the immune system. These counts are commonly used in immunology and infectious disease management, particularly monitoring conditions like AIDS/HIV, autoimmune diseases etc.

f. CD 19 and CD 20 counts

CD19/CD 20 count flow cytometry is a test that measures the number of CD19+ B cells in the body to help diagnose and monitor conditions that affect the immune system. It is used to evaluate treatment response to anti CD-19 /Anti CD 20 monoclonal antibodies

g. Lymphocyte subset analysis (TBNK)

This is a basic immunodeficiency screening panel and is used to monitor and evaluate the immune system

Technology And Infrastructure

BD FACS LYRIC

High perfomance instrument designed by BD for advanced flow cytometry applications with 3 laser, 12 color detection capacity and also advanced sensitivity and resolution capacity .

Software Used For Acquisition Of Events And Data Analysis

• BD FACS SUITE
• BD FACS CLINICAL
• BD FACS DIVA

Expertise And Teams

• Dr. Sanooja Pinki S, MD, DNB, Head and Consultant in Transfusion Medicine, Certiifed in Flowcytometry
• Dr. Neetu S. Dathan, MD, Fellowship Oncopath) Consultant, Department of Pathology
• Dr. Deepthi B, MD, DNB, Fellowship (Oncopath) Consultant, Department of Pathology
• Dr. Padmini R, MD, DNB, Consultant, Department of Pathology

TAT and Reporting

Normal TAT for all the above tests is 48 hrs after the sample is received at KIMS Health except for CD34 enumeration (TAT excludes Sundays)

Empower your research and clinical diagnostics with cutting edge flowcytometry technology Contact us to discover how our solutions can accelerate your success

KIMSHEALTH -FLOWCYTOMETRY lABORATORY

• Our contact details: 0471-294-2227 / 0471-294-1216
• E mail: flowlab.tvm@kimsglobal.com