Bombay O Blood Donations in Sri Lanka: A Descriptive Study

Background: In addition to the four main groups of the ABO blood group system, a rare phenotype called Bombay O exists. When blood is needed from the Bombay O blood group for a patient, it is challenging for the transfusion service and understanding the prevalence of donors for Bombay O blood group is beneficial.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the number of Bombay O blood donations in Sri Lanka and determination of the trend in Bombay O blood donation.
Methods: The study was conducted using annual blood collection statistics of the National Blood Transfusion of Sri Lanka, from 2016 to 2024.
Results: Bombay O blood donation remains less than 0.01% of total blood collection in Sri Lanka. Even though there is a rise in total blood donations from 414175 to 454767, there is no increment in Bombay O blood donors. Furthermore, cryopreservation of Bombay O red cells has become increasingly available to maintain an adequate stock of Bombay O blood.
Conclusion: Similar to the other countries in the region, Bombay O blood donations in Sri Lanka are very low, as less than 0.01%. Hence, other strategies must be implemented to manage the patients who need Bombay O blood.