Background: Zambia National Blood Transfusion Service (ZNBTS) implemented Apheresis Platelets donation program in 2022 in line with the Ministry of Health National Strategic plan 2017-2021. The goal of the program was to ensure availability of single donor Apheresis Platelets for multiply transfused patients and immunocompromised patients. ZNBTS procured TERUMO OPTIA equipment for performing the Apheresis procedure. In addition, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) and ZNBTS, funded by the Office of Radiological Security (ORS) and Sandia National Laboratories, implemented a pilot study in Lusaka, Zambia to examine the use of Ultra Violet Pathogen Reduced Treatment (UV-PRT) to meet the ORS risk reduction objectives by focusing on how to implement UV-PRT in Sub-Saharan Africa while identifying the critical stakeholders, their roles, and what the facilitators and barriers are to the adoption of UV-PRT. One of the cohorts of this study was the transfusion of UV-PRT apheresis platelets to immunocompromised patient.
Study
Design/Methods: METHODS: To operationalize the program, a suitable collection room was identified and renovated including equipping it with suitable amenities such as Internet Wi-Fi, Digital Pay TV for potential Apheresis donors’ comfort and entertainment. A call Centre was established to convert whole blood donors to apheresis donors and do follow up calling. Further, Blood Donor staff were trained in the operation of the cell separator and the donor care and management of Apheresis donors. Technical support from the AABB and a sensitization program on Apheresis program was designed and implemented to include Face-Face communication, radio, TV, Social media posts, brochures and Posters as methods to recruit suitable donors. Potential platelet donors were pre-tested for Infectious markers, Haemoglobin (Hb) and platelet count to qualify.
Results/Findings: CHALLENGES: Fear by voluntary whole blood donors to convert to Apheresis donation with a donation time of at least 1hr, and initial low uptake on the new product by prescribers due to limited knowledge on the products. RESULTS Conclusions:
Conclusion: The ZNBTS has successfully implemented Platelet Apheresis program which has become part of the routine procedures with a growing platelet donor base. Prescribers have welcomed supply of apheresis platelets and during the implementation period no patient experienced an adverse event.
Importance of research: Ground breaker for a resource restricted country
