Transfusion Medicine Department

Blood collection and its components are performed at the transfusiology department workplaces. Transfusion preparations and plasma are prepared here, which are used for transfusion therapy and pharmaceutical processing. Transfusion preparations are irradiated with ionizing radiation (prevention of post-transfusion GVHD). Furthermore, stem cell hematopoietic cell grafts are prepared and processed here for autologous and allogeneic transplantation. In patients, therapeutic apheresis procedures are performed such as plasma exchange, red blood cell exchange, leukocyte depletion, erythrocyte and platelet depletion, extracorporeal photochemotherapy and IgG immunoadsorption.

The National Reference Laboratory for Immunohematology operates at the Transfusiology Department.

The Transfusiology Department has the following cooperating departments:

• Apheresis Department
• Transfusion Department
• Imunohematology
• Department of Cell Therapy
• Sampling laboratory
• Laboratory for the Prevention of Viral Infections

The Transfusiology Department manages the National Registries of Transfusion Service:

• Register of persons excluded from donation (from December 4, 2023 transfers to NROVDK)
• Register of donors of rare blood types
• maintains the Register of HLA and HPA typed donors

Cooperating organizations: 

• international SCARF group for exchange of rare erythrocytes
• WAA (World Apheresis Association) – international registry for therapeutic hemapheresis
• International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Bristol
• international BloodGen consortium
• Czech registry of hematopoietic cell donors IKEM
• 1st and 2nd Internal Clinic and Neurology Clinic of Charles University Hospital
• 1st and 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University in Prague
• transfusion departments in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Employees of the Transfusiology Department participate in undergraduate and postgraduate education in transfusion medicine. The teaching also concerns donor and therapeutic procedures performed using hemapheresis technique and preparation of stem hematopoietic cells for transplantation and cell therapy.

Undergraduate activities are focused on teaching students in the 4th to 6th year of the 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University in Prague. Teaching takes place within the framework of ÚKEH 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University, ÚHKT and IPVZ. Regular seminars are held at the Transfusiology Department.

The Transfusiology Department is regularly inspected by the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL). The laboratories of the Transfusiology Department have completed accreditation by ČIA (Czech Institute for Accreditation, o.p.s.)