The Department of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology (earlier known as ‘Clinical Pathology and Blood Bank’) has four main areas - the blood bank, and the ‘IP’, special test and HLA laboratories.
 
The John F. Scudder memorial blood bank bleeds more than 20,000 donors per year. 90% of its collection is processed into blood components. Our blood bank has been a leader in instituting technological advances that increase the safety of transfusion, such as column based grouping and compatibility testing, antibody screening using phenotyped cell panels and nucleic acid (NAT) testing for HIV, HCV and Hepatitis B.

People live when people give 
              
The IP lab provides blood counts, urine investigations, counts on CSF and other body fluids, microscopic reporting of blood and bone marrow smears, and various other tests. More than two thousand blood samples are processed here each day.
 
The special test laboratory performs holistic diagnostics for bleeding and thrombotic disorders and haemolytic anaemias. It is a reputed referral centre within the country for the diagnosis of bleeding disorders.
 
The HLA lab performs HLA typing and antibody screening for transplantation purposes and the diagnosis of HLA associated diseases. It is among the few tissue typing laboratories in the country to use Luminex technology which enables high throughput typing and antibody screening at the highest level of detection.
 
The department also manages blood collection in the OPD and at specific times in the wards. Over three thousand blood samples are collected each day and sent to various laboratories within the hospital for testing. To maintain its various services, the department employs more than two hundred people, making it the second largest employer within CMC.

Beyond excellence in service, we strive to make a national impact in the fields of transfusion medicine, laboratory haematology and immunogenetics through educational and research activities.

The department runs three courses, two EQAS programs, trains students and observers from India and abroad, and conducts CMEs and conferences. Our goal is not merely education, but the generation of policies and consensus as regards standards in practice. 

Image on top shows the Pathology Museum maintained by the department

A short history 

It was in 1952 that the department of Clinical Pathology and Blood Bank formally came into being when it branched off from the department of Pathology. The new department established its identity as a core facility under the able administration of successive heads, and matured in synchrony with the speciality of clinical haematology.

Initially housed along with the Clinical Biochemistry lab, Clinical Pathology soon became an independent laboratory, handling laboratory haematology and transfusion medicine together.
 
A blood bank had been established in CMC in 1948. In 1978 the current blood bank was constructed and named after Dr John F Scudder, the father of our founder, Dr Ida Scudder.

In the 1960s, Dr Robert Carman, with the assistance of Dr. Sunil Parekh, set up the special test laboratory, where evaluation of haemostatic, thrombotic and haemolytic disorders were performed.
 
The HLA lab was started in 1988 under Dr Ramani Pulimood, who elicited the help of Dr Terasaki, one of the founding fathers in the field of transplantation immunology, to set up the laboratory.

In 2008 the department changed its name from ‘Clinical Pathology and Blood Bank’ to ‘Transfusion medicine and Immunohaematology.’

Training and education had been a focus even before the formal institution of the department. The CMAI course for a diploma in medical laboratory technology (DMLT) was initiated in the 1940s, and in the 1990s a university affiliated BSc in medical laboratory technology (BScMLT) was started. The department has also been conducting the diploma in Clinical Pathology (DCP) course at a post graduate level since the 1960s and MD in transfusion medicine course since 2011.

Realising the need for specialized training in the field of laboratory haematology and haematopathology, a post doctoral fellowship course in laboratory haematology was started in 2013 for candidates who have completed MD in pathology. Along with Clinical Haematology, the department has been consistently involved in training programs which aim at enabling smaller hospitals to set up and build their haematology services. 

 Milestones (to be updated)

• 1923 – First blood transfusion in CMC hospital performed under supervision of Dr Carol Jameson (who was also the first donor)
• 1945 - CMAI diploma course in basic lab technology commenced 
• 1948 – Blood bank established at CMCH under department of anaesthesiology
• 1950 – Blood bank management transferred to Department of Pathology and Clinical Pathology
• 1952 -  Department of Clinical Pathology established separately
• 1950s – Routine staining and reporting of bone marrow smears in department established under Dr Baker
• 1965 – CMAI diploma course for tutor technicians commences 
• 1960s – Special test laboratory established
• 1960s – DCP course commenced
• 1970 – Coagulation factor assays made available in the special test lab
• 1976 – Component preparation started in the blood bank
• 1978 – Blood bank moved to present location, and named after John F. Scudder
• 1978 – Professional blood donors excluded
• 1978 – Platelet aggregometry studies made available in the special test lab
• 1980s – Automated cell counting introduced 
• 1986  - Screening of blood donors for hepatitis B, malaria and microfilaria commenced
• 1988 – Donor screening for HIV started
• 1988 – HLA laboratory established
• 1989 – Blood bank switched collection from bottles to bags
• 1992 – Automation introduced into special test laboratory
• 1992 - DMLT course commenced 
• 1993 – BScMLT course commenced
• 1997 – Screening of donor blood for hepatitis C commenced
• 1997 – HLA lab acquires capability for molecular typing by SSP, used as a backup platform
• 2001 – Column agglutination technology introduced in the blood bank
• 2002 – Automation for immunohaematology introduced in blood bank
• 2003 – Thromboelastography introduced in the special test lab
• 2003 – Blood sample collection shifted from syringes to vacutainers
• 2003 – Automation introduced for urinalysis
• 2005 – Staining of peripheral blood smears automated 
• 2007 –HLA lab initiates solid phase technology in antibody screening, initially ELISA, to be followed later by Luminex
• 2008 – HLA lab acquires the Luminex platform and makes the leap from serology to full scale molecular typing by SSOP
• 2008 – Blood bank computerization initiated
• 2008 – Department title changed to ‘Department of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology’
• 2009 – Leukodepleted products made available
• 2010 – Sample barcoding introduced
• 2010 – ROTEM introduced in the special test lab
• 2011 – MD transfusion medicine course commenced
• 2011 – Nucleic acid testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C commenced
• 2011 – Platelet pheresis  commenced in the blood bank
• 2011 – Flow cytometer acquired by the department
• 2013 – Post doctoral fellowship course in laboratory haematology commenced