Units
Transfusion Medicine
Dr Shirley Phyllis Owusu- Ofori
Head of Unit
The Transfusion Medicine Unit (TMU) provides blood transfusion support in terms of blood and blood components for clinical use in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and other health care facilities in the Ashanti Region and beyond. The Unit seeks to provide a steady regular supply of safe blood to patients requiring blood as a therapeutic intervention. Established in 2002, the Unit operates under the Medical Director’s ambit.
The TMUis headed by Dr Shirley Phyllis Owusu- Ofori (nee Opoku), a Transfusion Medicine Consultant.
Other management team members are:
Technical Head – Labs Section Dr. Francis Sarkodie
Head – Donor Care Section Ms. Stella Manu
Head – Donor Organisation Section Mr. Kwame Asenso Mensah
Administrative Manager Ms. Alice Antwi
Currently, 80% of total blood collections in KATH, emanates from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors with a repeat voluntary donor population of 30%.
The unit continually strives to increase voluntary blood donations and has initiated a drive to convert family replacement donors into altruistic voluntary donors.
SERVICES:
a. Donor Organization
The TMU offers services including Donor Organization which involves the planning of mobile blood collecting sessions, recruiting and retaining voluntary blood – donors, attracting new areas i.e. work areas, groups etc for blood collection.
b. Laboratory Services
Transfusion–Transmissible Infection screening assays namely anti-HIV, HBsAg, anti-HCV and Syphilis antibody tests are carried out under quality-assured means on all blood units for patient care.
Immuno-haematology services include Blood grouping serology for both patients and donors, Compatibility testing of blood units for patients, Antibody investigations and Investigations for adverse transfusion reactions.
Blood and Blood components provided by the unit are Concentrated Red cells, Whole Blood, Fresh Frozen Plasma, Cryoprecipitate and Platelet concentrates.
c. Donor Clinic
The Donor Clinic offers Pre and Post Donation Counseling to prospective and deferred blood donors respectively. Therapeutic Venesections are carried out for referred patients. Pre-Operative Autologous Blood Donation services are available for well-informed elective patients from either of the surgical disciplines. It is very much encouraged that this service will be patronized tremendously to reduce over-reliance on allogeneic blood.
CLINICAL SUPPORT:
The TMU assists clinical care with appropriate use of blood guidance on a daily walk-in basis. Consults are available also for Transfusion related clinical issues and the management of special transfusion related cases. A Haemovigilance program has been initiated with the support of Terumo BCT and JICA in three departments; Oncology, Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The ultimate goal is to roll it out successfully across all the Clinical Departments in KATH.
TRAINING:
The Transfusion Medicine Unit continues to play a vital role in the In-service training of most categories of health workers on Blood related issues such as Procedures for Requesting Blood, Collection and Storage of Blood, Administration etc. The unit has trained several batches of Phlebotomists who render quality services across the hospital to relieve clinical areas and laboratories of the pressure of long waiting times for clients and donors.
The unit also plays a vital role in the induction training of Intern doctors and pharmacists by introducing them to the basic rudiments of a safe transfusion practice. Practical support is offered to students training and preparing towards their Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. Part-time teaching of Clinical Medical students in Transfusion Medicine is also offered by the unit.
HUMAN RESOURCE CAPACITY:
Our current crop of staff are as follows:
Unit Head 1
Admin. Manager 1
Accountant 1
Medical Lab. Scientists 12
Technical Officers 8
Blood Donor Organisers 5
Nurses 7
HCA/Phlebotomists 10
Orderlies 2
Total 47
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:
The unit has contributed over the years in building research capacity and providing local blood transfusion evidence in Ghana and Sub-Sahara from several studies carried out. Several international institutions who have forged strong research collaborations with the unit include Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Haematology of the University of Cambridge and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool. Organizations like Sliagen LLC, Austin, Texas and recently Terumo BCT Inc, Europe have had fruitful research engagements with the Transfusion Medicine Unit in carrying out research activities aimed at improving blood safety. A landmark clinical trial, African Investigation of the Mirasol System (AIMS) was conducted with Terumo BCT and it was demonstrated that the transmission of malaria through blood transfusion could be significantly reduced using the Mirasol technology. As a result of this study the Mirasol Whole Blood (WB) system was CE marked in September 2015. This has culminated in the implementation of the Mirasol Whole Blood Pathogen Reduction Technology in two teaching Hospitals (Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye) in Ghana.
PUBLICATIONS:
1. Microchimerism in Ghanaian children recipients of whole blood transfusion for severe anaemia
Assennato SM, Owusu-Ofori S, Osei-Akoto A, Lambert NC, Allain JP. Vox Sang. 2019 Feb; 114 (2):162-170. doi: 10.1111/vox.12734. PMID. 30523635
2. Improving the screening of blood donors with syphilis rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).
Sarkodie F, Hassall O, Owusu-Dabo E, Owusu-Ofori S, Bates I, Bygbjerg IC, Owusu-Ofori A, Harritshøj LH, Ullum H. Transfus Med. 2017 Feb; 27(1):52-59. doi: 10.1111/tme.12363
3. Detection of adverse events of transfusion in a teaching hospital in Ghana.
Owusu-Ofori AK, Owusu-Ofori SP, Bates I. Transfus Med. 2017 Jan 31. doi: 10.1111/tme. 12392. PMID: 28139022
4. Characterization of posttransfusion Plasmodium falciparum infection in semi-immune nonparasitemic patients.
Allain JP, Assennato SM, Osei EN, Owusu-Ofori AK, Marschner S, Goodrich RP, Owusu-Ofori S. Transfusion. 2016 Sep; 56(9):2374-83. doi: 10.1111/trf.13706.
5. Effect of Plasmodium inactivation in whole blood on the incidence of blood transfusion-transmitted malaria in endemic regions: the African Investigation of the Mirasol System (AIMS) randomised controlled trial.
Allain JP, Owusu-Ofori AK, Assennato SM, Marschner S, Goodrich RP, Owusu-Ofori S. Lancet. 2016 Apr 23; 387 (10029):1753-61. doi:
6. A novel strategy for screening blood donors for syphilis at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana.
Sarkodie F, Ullum H, Owusu-Dabo E, Owusu-Ofori S, Owusu-Ofori A, Hassall O.
Transfus Med. 2016 Feb; 26(1):63-6. doi: 10.1111/tme.12279. PMID: 26834072
7. Fourteen-year experience of a tertiary hospital transfusion committee in West Africa.
Opare-Sem O, Bedu-Addo G, Karikari P, Boateng P, Sarkodie F, Rahman R, Asenso-Mensah K, Awuah B, Osei Akoto A, Munin SA, Mensah-Acheampong F, Allain JP, Owusu-Ofori S. Transfusion. 2014 May 20. doi: 10.1111/trf.12690. PMID: 24845344
Osei EN, Odoi AT, Owusu-Ofori S, Allain JP. Transfus Med. 2013 Jun; 23(3):160-6. doi: 10.1111/tme.12028.PMID: 23672710
9. Can family or replacement blood donors become regular volunteer donors?
Asenso-Mensah K, Achina G, Appiah R, Owusu-Ofori S, Allain JP. Transfusion. 2014 Mar; 54(3 Pt 2):797-804. doi: 10.1111/trf.12216.PMID: 23614450
Freimanis G, Sedegah M, Owusu-Ofori S, Kumar S, Allain JP. Transfusion. 2013 Jul; 53(7):1429-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2012.03943.x..PMID: 23113534
Contact Numbers:
Direct line 00233 3220 23003
Reception 00233 3220 22301-3 ext 2067
Head of Unit: 00233 3220 22301-3 ext 2010
Immunoheamatology lab 00233 3220 22301-3 ext 2070
Donor Clinic 00233 3220 22031-3 ext 1265
Donor Organiser’s Office 00233 3220 22031-3 ext 1224
Admin. Manager’s Office 00233 3220 22031-3 ext 1276
Emergency Lines: Lab 00233 508874341
Donor Care 00233 508874351
Donor Services 00233 502735096
