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Role of National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in promoting Emergency Obstetrics Care (EMOC)
Abstract
Background: Obstetrics haemorrhage is one of the leading cause of maternal mortality in our settings, this was compounded by the non availability to safe blood in situation of need. Hence the prompt access and availability of blood can avert this preventable cause of maternal death.
Objectives: to highlight the benefits of effective collaboration with NBTS in ensuring prompt availability of blood for emergency obstetric services requiring blood for transfusion.
Material And Method: All obstetrics cases requiring blood transfusion in FMC Nguru from 1st January 2006 – 31st December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Trends and pattern of the request and source of blood were looked at within the two periods (from 1st January 2006 – 31st December 2008 and 1st January 2009 – 31st December 2011). Records of 1634 obstetric patients requiring blood transfusion or received blood transfusion in the maternity units were retrieved from the medical records, maternity ward record and blood bank. Information pertaining to their age, parity, indication for the transfusion or requests and source of blood was obtained for analysis. Data was analysed using simple percentage.
Results: Between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2008 only 513 (56%) of the units requested 907 units of blood were supplied, while between 1st January 2009 and 1st December 2011 1367 (87%) of the 1567 units of blood requested were supplied. Within the earlier study period the only available source were from willing relatives and commercial blood donors, however between 2009 and 2011 more than 2/3 (64.2%) were supplied from the north east zonal NBTS office in Maiduguri. In 2006 through 2008, donation from relatives and commercial donors accounted for 53.22% and 46.78% respectively, but in 2009 and 2011 donation from relatives and commercial donors were recorded as 23.9% and 11.6% respectively. The commonest indication for the requests were anaemia, obstetrics haemorrhage (PPH, APH) and emergency C/S.
Conclusion: Ready available source of blood will significantly improve timely availability of blood in our setting. There is the need to encourage this collaboration in other regions to ensure prompt availability of blood to attend to emergencies requiring blood transfusion.
