In rare news that also created history, a South Indian woman has been identified with a blood group that is not known to anyone before.
The incident occurred to a woman based in Bengaluru, whose blood group was never seen before, and this rare discovery took 10 months to unravel.
The O-positive blood of the 38-year-old woman carried an unknown antigen, which was found out when she was admitted for heart surgery last year. Doctors were quizzed on this condition as her blood reacted with all the tested samples.
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As per a report in Moneycontrol, the woman who was admitted to R.L. Jalappa Hospital in Kolar was in a fix after she could not find any matching units of blood that were required for the heart procedure. However, the surgeons managed to perform the surgery without a transfusion.
Her blood sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Bristol, which studied the case for 10 months before concluding. As per media reports, experts found a new antigen in the Cromer system and named it 'CRIB', combining Cromer and India Bengaluru.
“Using advanced serological techniques, our team found that her blood was ‘panreactive’, incompatible with all test samples. Recognising this as a possible case of a rare or unknown blood type, the team collected blood samples from 20 of her family members to search for a compatible match, but none of them were a match. The case was managed with utmost care, and with collaborative effort from her physicians and family, her surgery was successfully completed without the need for transfusion,” said Dr Ankit Mathur from the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre to TNIE.
And historically, as per ISBT guidelines, she is officially the first known carrier.
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