In a significant boost to healthcare safety in the region, the Surat Raktdan Kendra and Research Centre (SRKRC) has completed a major technological upgrade of its blood screening infrastructure. The centre has transitioned from a manual system to a fully automated Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) facility, a move that dramatically enhances the safety of blood supplied for transfusions.
Closing the Dangerous "Window Period" in Blood Screening
Traditional blood screening in India and globally has long relied on ELISA tests, which detect antibodies or antigens produced by the body in response to infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. However, these tests have a critical flaw known as the "window period." This is the time gap between initial infection and when the body produces enough markers for the ELISA test to detect it. During this window, infected blood can falsely test as negative.
"NAT overcomes this fundamental limitation," explained an SRKRC official. "Instead of looking for antibodies, the advanced NAT technology directly detects the genetic material (RNA/DNA) of the virus itself. This allows us to identify infections much earlier, often within days of exposure, ensuring that contaminated blood units are intercepted before they ever reach a patient."
The Lifesaving Numbers: 117 Donations, 351 Patients Protected
The impact of implementing NAT screening has been quantified with compelling data. So far, SRKRC has conducted NAT tests on 3,49,118 blood donations that had initially tested negative using the conventional ELISA method. The results were revealing: 117 of these donations were found to be NAT-positive, indicating active viral infections that the older test method failed to catch.
The true scale of prevention becomes clear when considering how blood is used. A single blood donation is typically separated into three key components:
- Packed Red Blood Cells
- Fresh Frozen Plasma
- Platelet Concentrate
These components are often given to three different patients. Therefore, the interception of 117 infected donations has potentially safeguarded at least 351 patients from receiving infected blood products and contracting life-threatening diseases.
A Commitment to Automated, Uncompromised Safety
The latest upgrade to a fully automated NAT system marks a new chapter for SRKRC. "Our centre earlier operated a manual NAT testing facility. The new automated system enhances throughput, reduces human error, and ensures consistent, round-the-clock screening of every single blood donation we collect," added an official.
This proactive adoption of cutting-edge Nucleic Acid Testing technology underscores SRKRC's commitment to setting the highest standards in transfusion medicine. It provides an invaluable additional layer of safety for countless patients in Surat and surrounding areas who depend on life-saving blood transfusions during surgeries, cancer treatments, childbirth, and trauma care.
