PGI Chandigarh modifies blood donor sofa to reduce dizziness and anxiety

Those who become dizzy when donating blood, whether owing to poor seating position or dread of a needle prick, need not be concerned. To circumvent this constraint, Dr Suchet Sachdev of PGI’s department of transfusion medicine redesigned the traditional blood donor sofa.
CHANDIGARH: People who become dizzy when donating blood, whether owing to poor seating position or dread of a needle prick, need not be concerned. To circumvent this constraint, Dr Suchet Sachdev of PGI’s department of transfusion medicine redesigned the traditional blood donor sofa. His invention was given a patent, and he received the first prize for greatest innovation at the PGI research day on Friday.
In a typical Indian hospital or blood transfusion centre, the Blood Donor Couch was a depressing, uninteresting, and ungainly piece of equipment. Terumo Penpol, one of Asia’s major makers of blood bags and a well-known manufacturer of medical equipment for blood transfusion centres, intended to create and introduce an international standard Blood Donor Couch at a lower cost than imported ones.
Every day, NGO employees and PGI’s blood transfusion department make hundreds of calls to persons on the list of volunteer blood donors and organisations. PGI’s blood donation vehicle visits the field on a regular basis to collect blood units. However, due to the closure, the department has begun taking donations to PGIMER instead. The sole silver lining is that, while blood collection has reduced by one-third, so has demand for blood for the time being.
When a donor sits on a stool or chair to donate blood, his or her posture causes blood to collect in the large venous sinusoids of the calf muscles. Blood circulation decreases as it returns from the legs to the heart, creating dizziness.
It is an ergonomic alteration of the donor’s couch that incorporates a mild massage to the blood donor’s calf muscles (peripheral heart). This aids in the circulation of blood from the periphery to the heart.
“The central heart pumps enough venous return into the arteries in a typical, healthy person to give oxygen. As a result, the brain receives enough oxygen supply and the onset of vasovagal reactions is slowed “said Dr. Suchet. “The increase in blood flowing into the arteries by the heart prevents the drop in blood pressure observed during vasovagal responses,” he continued.
The massage not only ensures proper blood flow but also diverts the donor’s attention away from the needle, lowering vasovagal reactions brought on by psychological factors.