Dengue: Demand for platelet surges 3-4 times amid blood bag crisis

The demand for platelets for dengue patients has surged three to four times as the dengue outbreak intensified in the capital, posing challenges for hospitals and blood banks to meet the increasing need for triple blood bags and platelet kits.

Medical experts, however, said many dengue patients are given platelets unnecessarily due to their overly anxious relatives. They advised not to give platelets to patients unless it is medically necessary.

The Quantum Foundation's blood bank is getting an average daily request for 170-180 bags of platelets. This stands in stark contrast to the usual demand of 50 to 70 bags during non-outbreak periods.

The foundation officials said they are facing considerable challenges in meeting the daily demand for platelets.

Shamima Nasrin Munny, an organiser of Quantum Lab, said there has been a sudden surge in platelet demand since the end of June, primarily due to the increased number of dengue patients. However, platelets are also required for cancer, anaemia patients, and newborn babies at other times.

She highlighted the challenges they are facing in meeting the immediate demand, saying that it's not feasible to supply platelets to all orders on the same day. At least 20% of the requests have to be deferred to the next day.

She said doctors often schedule platelet transfusions within one to two hours in emergency cases. Finding donors in such urgent situations can be difficult, and if the patient's blood group is rare, the situation becomes even more critical.

In Quantum Lab, platelet concentrates are priced at Tk5,960 per unit, while apheresis platelets range from Tk25,000 to Tk30,000 per unit. Apheresis platelets are collected from a single donor while platelet concentrates are collected from multiple donors.

The Red Crescent Blood Bank, which supplies a large demand for blood in hospitals, is facing a shortage of triple blood bags due to increased demand for platelets.

Dr Zahidur Rahman, in charge of the Red Crescent Blood Bank, said that the blood bank is facing a shortage of blood bags, which is preventing them from meeting the high demand for platelets, especially from Holy Family Hospital and Shishu Hospital.

"We are getting a high demand for platelets from these hospitals, but we do not have enough blood bags to meet the demand. Even those who import blood bags do not have any available," he said.

He added that the blood bank is still able to supply platelets, but they are not sure what will happen after 4-5 days if the shortage of blood bags continues.

In the Red Crescent Blood Bank, the cost of one unit of platelet from a random donor is now Tk4,400 per unit, up from Tk12,000 last year. The cost of single donor platelets has increased to Tk18,600 per unit, up from Tk12,000 last year.

Officials say the increase in the price of platelet kits is to blame for the rising cost of platelets.

The Police Hospital Blood Bank supplies a large amount of single-donor platelets to hospitals.

Sub-inspector AKM Siddiqul Islam, in charge of the blood bank, told TBS that the demand for platelets has increased from 4-5 bags per day to 25-30 bags per day. However, there is a shortage of kits, and the market is not meeting the demand.

Professor Dr Ashadul Islam, chairman of the Department of Blood Transfusion Medicine at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said the hospital only needed 5-6 bags of platelets per day, but now they need 15 bags per day.

"BSMMU has purchased blood transfusion kits and blood bags at the beginning of the year, so we do not have a shortage of blood bags," he added.

Experts advise not to give unnecessary platelets

Platelets are blood cells that help to stop bleeding. In dengue patients, the number of platelets can decrease, which can lead to bleeding. If the platelet count is less than 20,000, the patient may need to be given additional platelets.

However, experts advise against unnecessary platelet transfusions, as they can have side effects.

Dr Dilip Kumar Dhar, professor at the Department of Internal Medicine at MH Samorita Hospital and Medical College, told TBS that the decision of whether or not to give platelets should be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the patient's individual circumstances.

He said that the usual threshold for giving platelets is a platelet count of less than 20,000. However, he said that this can vary from person to person. For example, a patient with a platelet count of 15,000 may not need platelets if they are not experiencing any bleeding.

Dr Ashraful Hoque, assistant professor at the Blood Transfusion Department of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said private hospitals often offer platelets for profit and in 90% of cases, platelets are given unnecessarily.

Dengue cases rising

Meanwhile, nine more dengue patients died and 1,755 were hospitalised across the country in the last 24 hours till Wednesday morning.

With the latest figure, 155 dengue patients have died in the country and 27,547 were admitted to hospitals this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data.

So far, 5,937 dengue patients are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.