BERHAMPUR: In a major boost to healthcare in southern Odisha, MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, has introduced therapeutic plasma exchange and red cell exchange procedures.
The department of Transfusion Medicine recently performed its first successful therapeutic plasma exchange on a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with Atypical Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a rare and life-threatening disorder that had severely affected her kidneys.
A multidisciplinary team carried out the complex procedure by filtering the patient’s blood and removing harmful antibodies and toxins from the plasma. The patient has shown significant clinical improvement and is scheduled to undergo four treatment sessions.
In another milestone, doctors successfully performed a therapeutic red cell exchange on a patient suffering from sickle cell disease. The procedure reduced the patient’s sickle haemoglobin level from 76 per cent to 30 per cent, leading to a significant improvement in the patient’s condition. Doctors said the treatment would reduce the need for frequent blood transfusions and provide relief from severe pain associated with the disease.
Until now, patients from southern Odisha requiring these specialised procedures had to travel to Cuttack, Bhubaneswar or even outside the state. With the introduction of these services at MKCG, eligible patients will now be able to avail of the treatment free of cost.
MKCG dean and principal Dr Harikrishna Dalai said the new facility would benefit thousands of economically disadvantaged patients across southern Odisha by eliminating the financial burden of travelling to distant hospitals for advanced treatment.
MCH superintendent Dr Sudeepa Das congratulated the Department of Transfusion Medicine and the multidisciplinary team for achieving the milestone. She said the institution would continue expanding advanced healthcare services to improve patient care across the region.
Medical experts noted that therapeutic plasma exchange is widely used to treat severe autoimmune, neurological and haematological disorders, while therapeutic red cell exchange is an effective therapy for managing complications of sickle cell disease, a major public health concern in the region.