Kolkata doctors saved a 10-year-old girl suffering from severe complications of plasmodium falciparum malaria infection by a blood exchange transfusion procedure at the Institute of Child Health.

The girl, a Park Circus resident, was diagnosed with malaria on October 19. Even after receiving a dose of anti-malarial medication, the girl′s condition continued to worsen. The following day, she was shifted to ICH, where she was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit because she kept sinking (PICU).

The child was admitted on October 20 with malaria and multiple organ dysfunctions, and the second dose of an anti-malarial medication did not work, according to Dr. Prabhas Prasun Giri, who is also in charge of the paediatric ICU. On testing, the doctors found that more than 5% of the red blood cells were infected by the malaria parasite (hyperparasitemia).

So instead of waiting longer for the drugs to work, they conducted a blood transfusion immediately. As per protocol, fresh blood was used to replace half of the blood volume that same day. A child′s total blood volume is 1.5 litres at age 10.

The child was kept under observation for the next five days and shifted to the normal ward after rapid recovery. On Tuesday, she was discharged from the hospital.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/kolkata-doctors-replace-half-of-kids-blood-to-save-her-from-high-malaria-parasite-load/95264881)