Introduction: Inadequate mixing during the blood collection process might affect the quality of platelet concentrates (PCs). Currently, two different mixing methods are used during whole blood collection: manual mixing and mixing using an automated blood collection mixer. However, the cost between manual and automated blood collection mixer differed largely and pose a dilemma for a blood transfusion service. The objective of this study was to evaluate PCs quality using either manual mixing or automated procedure. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conduct- ed at the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Thirty eligible participants aged 20 to 45 were included in this study, and a unit of 450 mL whole blood was collected from each participant. Fifteen units of whole blood were mixed by an automated blood collection mixer and the other 15 units were mixed using the man- ual mixing. All PCs were produced from platelet-rich plasma and stored at 20–24°C for 5 days. Quality parameters such as platelet count, leucocyte count, and pH were measured for each PCs on day 1 and day 5. Results: Platelet count on day 1 was significantly higher than on day 5 (p = 0.01) for both mixing methods. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the PCs quality parameters between the two types of mixing methods at either day 1 or day 5 of storage (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Comparable PCs quality is achieved from both manual mixing and auto- mated procedures.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major public health problems in Malaysia. It remains the most common permanent deferral among blood donors. In Malaysia, the national vaccination programme has been introduced since 1989 to prevent HBV transmission. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of HBV infection among first-time blood donors after the implementation of the national hepatitis B vaccination programme. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study involving tracing of the database of National Blood Centre Malaysia. The record of first-time blood donors who had donated between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2015 and were screened HBV positive was reviewed and analysed. Results: There were 376,737 first-time donors who had donated blood and 575 of them screened positive for HBV. The overall prevalence of seropositive for hepatitis B was 0.15%. The prevalence was higher at 0.23% among donors born before the year 1989 (pre-vaccination era) compared to 0.05% among donors born in and after the year 1989 (post-vaccination era). Perinatal transmission was found to have 15 times higher odds of developing HBV infection as compared to those who had the combination of risk factors among those born after the year 1989 (adjusted OR=14.95, 95% CI 1.80=124.01). Conclusion: The implementation of the national vaccination programme reduced the prevalence of hepatitis B among donors who received vaccination at birth compared to those who did not.
Dengue virus is one of the emerging agents that can be transmitted via blood transfusion from infected blood donors to recipients. In Malaysia, the increase in dengue infection may contribute to the existence of asymptomatic blood donors and increase the risk of blood supply contaminated with this virus. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of NS1 dengue antigen among blood donors and to ascertain the demographic data of blood donors in Penang and and Perak. Methods: A total of 374 voluntary blood donors were recruited from two blood donation campaigns organised by Hospital Pulau Pinang, Penang and Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh, Perak from April to May 2016. From each centre, 187 voluntary blood donors were enrolled, blood was collected and Dengue NS1 Ag was screened on all the samples using Platelia dengue antigen test kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories, France. Results: All 374 samples were found to be negative for the Dengue NS1 antigen. Demographic data of these blood donors showed that the most common blood group was O Rh positive, men donated more than women and Chinese blood donors were the biggest group of donors. Conclusion: Even though dengue is endemic in Malaysia, none of the blood donors was screened positive for dengue NS1 antigen in the areas studied. This indicates that none of the blood donor at the time of donation was in viraemia stage. The established donor screening program ensures that the dengue transmission through transfusion is minimal in the areas studied.
The current focus of perioperative management of anaemia has shifted from allogeneic transfusion to optimising and conserving the patient’s blood through the implementation of patient blood management (PBM) strategies. We here- by report a case to illustrate the success of applying PBM strategies in managing a surgical patient with an extremely rare red blood cells (RBC) phenotype. An 80-year-old Malay man was planned for urgent major abdominal surgery following diagnosis of intestinal obstruction secondary to an advanced rectosigmoid tumour. A request of two units packed RBC was made given anticipated blood loss intraoperatively. His pre-operative haemoglobin was 135 g/L. His previous immunohaematological record showed that he had an extremely rare P k (P1-, P-, Pk+) phenotype with clinically significant anti-P, anti-PX2, and anti-P1. The elements of PBM strategies were explored and applied. Even- tually, the patient successfully underwent a surgical operation without any allogeneic RBC transfusion.
Introduction: Transfusion Medicine is an evolving filed which integrates multidisciplinary science in providing safe blood and blood products for patients. With an increasing demand for Transfusion Medicine training in Malaysia, a formal survey is needed to evaluate the postgraduate Transfusion Medicine programme offered by Advanced Med- ical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia to identify areas of deficiency based on the alumni experiences. Methods: An English language survey form was developed specifically to assess the programme contents (overall contents, learning experience in each year, and support in research), the alumni perception on soft-skills gained during the study, and the outcome of the programme. The survey forms were distributed to all alumni between March 2018 and October 2018 via e-mail or hand-delivered. Results: The survey response rate was 79% (37 of 47). A ma- jority (97%) of the transfusion medicine specialists (TMS) in this study reported that the course offered in the program was relevant to their current job. The learning experience which includes course content, student’s placement, facili- ties, and support in research) were rated between satisfactory and good. Communicating effectively through speaking was the highest reported soft-skill gained during the programme, whereas communicating effectively in writing was the lowest soft-skill gained. On the programme outcome, all TMS agreed that this programme will produce qualified and well trained specialists for current working market. Conclusion: Some improvement in the programme contents and teaching activities are needed to equip the future TMS for the nation.