Blood Bank

Blood storage centers are places where the blood for transfusion is stored. The blood is collected
from people who donate blood voluntary. This helps in arranging and transporting the blood to
various emergency units that require blood for their patients. This method of storing blood in
blood banks and screening it to places where there is a need for the blood helps in saving the
lives of many people.

Before applying for the approval, the storage centre will have to identify and obtain
consent from the blood bank from where they will get the supply of blood/blood components.
These could be licensed blood banks run by Government Hospitals/Indian Red Cross/Regional
Blood Transfusion Centres only. In case the license of the parent blood bank/centre is cancelled,
the license of the storage centre will also be automatically cancelled. The storage Centres , can
however, get affiliated to more than one blood bank/centre to ensure un-interrupted supplies, but
a separate approval will be required in each case. There are various requirements for blood
banks. These requirements for the blood banks include adequate manpower and also various
material things. These requirements have to be met for the governments to license these blood
banks. The blood banks should also have adequate infrastructure to test the blood collected from
donors for the presence of various diseases

1. Requirement
Staff / Manpower: There should be a physician or medical officer who needs to make certain
decisions about the quality of the blood collected and also to identify various diseases in the
donor. Other than the physician, adequate number of Laboratory workers need to be present to
collect and package and store the blood collected from donors.

Space: There needs to be adequate space for the collection of the blood from the donors. There
should be enough places for the donors to lie down when the blood is being collected. The area
required for setting up the facility is only 10 square metres, well lighted, clean and preferably air-
conditioned.
Electric supply: There should be continuous twenty four hour electric supply for the blood to be
kept cold in a cold storage. The cold storage should be maintained at a particular temperature.
This electric supply should have a backup in case there is a failure to the main supply.

Equipment: There should be a refrigerator where the blood bags are stored. It should have a
adequate space to store the required number of bags. There should be a deep freezer box where
ice in large amounts is stored at a temperature of minus twenty degrees. This will help while
transporting the blood to another area. Boxes for transporting the blood should also be present.
Blood Testing Equipment: There should also be enough equipment to do various blood tests
that test for the presence of diseases. Other than this, blood testing equipment that test the blood
group and also do cross matching should also be present.

Transport: Transportation facilities should be available for the blood to be transported safely to
the place where the blood is needed as an emergency. This transportation should be efficient.
The blood is taken in the boxes with the ice to keep the blood cool. This prevents the blood from
getting spoilt.

2. SUGGESTED QUANTITIES OF WHOLE BLOOD UNITS TO BE

AVAILABLE AT A BLOOD STORAGE UNITS

5 units each of A, B, O (Positive)

2 units AB (Positive)
1 units each of A, B & O (Negative)

3. STORAGE & TRANSPORTATION

It is necessary to maintain the cold chain at all levels i.e. from the mother centre to the blood
storage centre to the issue of blood. This can be achieved by using insulated carrier boxes.
During transportation, the blood should be properly packed into cold boxes surrounded by the
ice packs. Ice, if used should be clean and should not come in direct contact with the blood
bags. The blood should be kept in blood bank refrigerator at 4-6°C ± 2°C. The temperature of
the blood should be monitored continuously.
The storage centre should check the condition of blood on receipt
from the Mother centre and also during the period of storage. The responsibility of any
problem arising from storage, cross matching, issue and transfusion will be of the storage
centre. Any unit of blood showing hemolysis, turbidity or change in colour should not be
taken on stock for transfusion.
Care should be taken to maintain sterility of blood by keeping all storage
areas clean. The expiry of the blood is normally 35/42 days, depending on the type of blood
bags used. The Medical officer in-charge should ensure that unused blood bags should be
returned to the Mother Centre at least 10 days before the expiry of the blood and fresh blood
obtained in its place.

4. ISSUE OF BLOOD
Patients' blood grouping and cross matching should invariably be carried out before issue of
blood. A proper record of this should be kept. First In and First Out (FIFO) policy, whereby
blood closer to expiry date is used first, should be followed.

5. DISPOSAL
Since all the blood bags will already be tested by the Mother Centre, disposal of empty blood
bags should be done by landfill. Gloves should be cut and put in bleach for at least one hour
and then disposed as normal waste.
6. DOCUMENTATION & RECORDS
The Centre should maintain proper records for procurement, cross-matching and issue of
blood and blood components. These records should be kept for at least 5 years.

7. TRAINING
Training of doctors and technicians, who will be responsible for the Blood Storage Centre,
should be carried out for 3 days in an identified centre as per the guidelines. Training will
include:
• Pre transfusion checking, i.e. patient identity and grouping
• Cross-matching
• Compatibility
• Problems in grouping and cross-matching
• Troubleshooting
• Issue of blood
• Transfusion Reactions and its management
• Disposal of Blood Bags

The Blood Banks who intend to supply the blood units/components shall test the following
mandatory tests before supplying to Blood Storage Centres:
• Blood Grouping
• Anti Body Testing
• Haemoglobin Content
• HIV I & II Anti Bodies
• Hepatitis B Surface antigen
• Hepatitis C Anti Body
• Malarial Parasite
• Syphillis

The label of the tested blood unit shall contain the above particulars with date of testing before
supplying to Blood Storage Centres