Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the working of blood transfusion center: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disease which is unknown how much it will affect the work of hospitals, has caused a pandemic all over world. The decrease in donations due to pandemic required regulation of blood supply in hospitals. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the blood center of our hospital during the pandemic period. Methods: Patients’ records of our hospital blood transfusion center were reviewed retrospectively before and during the pandemic. The patients were divided into two groups as pre-pandemic (11 March-30 June 2019) and pandemic period (11 March-30 June 2020). The groups were compared in terms of age range, gender, blood type, blood type of products, diseases causing transfusion, blood/ blood products transfusion/counts, transfusions performed to COVID-19 patients. Results: Four thousand two hundred seventy-one blood product transfusions were performed on 1, 290 patients. Evaluation of diseases that cause transfusion among statistically significant groups in some diseases such as gastrointestinal diseases, genitourinary system diseases, infectious diseases and other diseases was determined. Conclusion: While a decrease in our transfusion rates was observed during the pandemic period, the increase in gastrointestinal system diseases is a striking result. The modern world will encounter these and similar pandemics in the future and we think that each region should evaluate its own blood centers in order to prepare for them.