Panaji: Manipal Hospitals Goa in its effort to provide world-class healthcare services, unveiled the first of its kind ‘Apheresis Technology Machine’ in Goa which will help the doctors in blood bank and transfusion medicine.
Shri Vishwajit Rane, Honorable Health Minister of Goa unveiled the state of the art Apheresis Technology machine in the presence of Smt. Jyoti J. Sardesai Director, Directorate of Food & Drugs Administration alongwith Mr. Saghir Siddiqui, Regional Chief Operating Officer at Manipal Health Enterprises Private limited, Mr. Manish Trivedi, Hospital Director at Manipal Hospitals Goa, Dr. Shekhar Salkar, HOD Oncology Department & Senior Oncology Surgeon at Manipal Hospitals Goa and Dr Dhaval Fadadu, Consultant, Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine at Manipal Hospital, Goa.
An Apheresis machine is a device, which receives blood removed from a patient or donor’s body and separates it into its various components: plasma, platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells. The process of removing the plasma from red cells is termed plasmapheresis. Similarly, terms are given to the removal of other components, including platelets (plateletpheresis), red cells (erythrocytapheresis) or leukocytes (leukapheresis).
Congratulating on the efforts of Manipal Hospital Goa, Shri Vishwajit Rane, Honorable Health Minister of Goa, said, “My heartiest congratulations to Manipal Hospitals Goa for achieving this significant milestone in blood bank and transfusion. I am confident that this technology will be beneficial to patients and doctors both.”
Sharing his happiness on introducing this innovative technology Mr. Manish Trivedi, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospitals Goa, said, “Manipal Hospitals Goa has always been at the forefront of providing the latest and best treatment facilities for the patients. We always strive to upgrade and add the latest innovative technologies in our facility. The Apheresis technology has multiple benefits and we are the only Hospital to offer this. We will continue to add significant milestones to serve our patrons better.”
Speaking on Apheresis Technology machine Dr Dhaval Fadadu, Consultant, Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine at Manipal Hospital, Goa. “Apheresis Machine helps in treatment of various diseases with its therapeutic and non-therapeutic procedures. Specifically, in APHERESIS, whole blood is separated into components during collection, the desired component is removed/modified, and the remaining components are returned to the donor or patient. By design, Apheresis procedures are intended to collect large numbers of component from an individual, thereby providing a more potent product with fewer donor exposures for the patient. Any one of the components of blood can be removed and the procedures are specified for the component selected. Automated cell-separator machines are used for both component preparation and therapeutic applications. “
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Saghir Siddiqui, Regional Chief Operating Officer at Manipal Health Enterprises Private limited said, “This is a proud moment for Manipal Hospital Goa as Apheresis Technology machine will enhance blood collection services as well as help in treating certain medical conditions in which a part of the blood that contains disease-provoking elements is removed. In fact at times single donor platelet provides great help for patients suffering from Dengue, Haematological Malignancy and severe thrombocytopenia.”
Apheresis technology is also used in several clinical conditions; Therapeutic Plasma Exchange remains first line of Treatment for several diseases like Gullain-Barre Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Good pasture Syndrome and Kidney Transplant (Desensitization)