The Blood Storage Facility at Visakha Institute of Medical Science (VIMS) in Visakhapatnam plays a crucial role in ensuring the availability of safe and compatible blood products for patient transfusions. Here’s an overview of the blood storage unit and its functions:

Infrastructure: The blood storage unit at VIMS is established in a 10 square meter area. It is equipped with the necessary facilities to store, group, cross-match, and release blood products. The unit is staffed by a doctor, a technician, and three staff nurses who have received specialized training in blood bank procedures.

Responsibilities: The designated medical officer is responsible for overseeing the overall functioning of the blood storage center. This includes ensuring proper storage conditions, maintaining inventory, and coordinating with the mother blood bank for the supply of screened blood bags.

Electricity: The blood storage unit has regular 24-hour electricity supply, supported by a backup generator. This ensures that the blood products are stored under optimal conditions at all times.

Equipment: The unit is equipped with essential equipment to support blood storage and processing activities. This includes a blood bank refrigerator with a storage capacity of 60 units of blood, a deep freezer for freezing ice packs used for blood transportation, a reagent storage refrigerator, a water bath for thawing, microscopes, gel technique cross-matching equipment, centrifuges, and other necessary consumables. Additionally, two air conditioners are installed to maintain suitable temperature and humidity levels within the unit.

Supply Source: The blood storage unit receives screened blood bags from the mother blood bank, which is KGH Blood Bank. These blood bags cater to the emergency and operating theater (OT) needs of VIMS patients.

Future Plans: VIMS has plans to establish a dedicated blood bank in a larger area of 150 square meters on the first floor, above the Emergency Medical Department (EMD) and OTs. This expansion will further enhance the capabilities of the blood storage facility. Additionally, there are plans to establish a transfusion medicine department in the near future, which will include two seats for MD Transfusion Medicine.

The Blood Storage Facility at VIMS plays a vital role in ensuring the availability of safe and compatible blood products for patients in need. With its dedicated staff and necessary infrastructure, the facility follows strict protocols and standards to maintain the integrity and quality of the stored blood products.