Exchange Transfusion
It is a procedure in which aliquots of patient blood are replaced with donor blood in order to remove harmful circulating toxins such as bilirubin. In our set up exchange transfusion is done in babies suffering from severe jaundice when other methods of treatment such as intensive phototherapy have been ineffective. It lowers the serum bilirubin level & reduce the risk of brain damage.
Why Are Exchange Transfusions Done?
An exchange transfusion reverses or counteracts the symptoms of jaundice or other blood diseases, such as sickle cell anemia.
Jaundice is a blood disease that’s fairly common in newborns during the first few weeks of life. It causes a yellow discoloration of their skin and whites of their eyes. Jaundice is a result of an excess of a chemical called bilirubin in the body.