Compatibility Testing
RBC Compatibility Testing
Compatibility testing consists of the following tests to determine if the patient's plasma or serum is compatible with the donor’s red cells.
- ABO Grouping & Rh Typing
- Antibody Detection (screen)
- Crossmatch
- Antibody Investigation (if antibody screen is positive)
When a patient has a clinically significant red cell antibody, it is important that any units transfused are negative for the corresponding antigen.
Specimen type is variable depending on specific hospital policies, although many hospitals use only EDTA specimens for this testing.
Group or Type and Screen is the first step in the ordering process for blood components. Many hospitals perform the group (or type) and screen and, if the antibody screen is negative, they wait for orders to transfuse before assigning or tagging units for the patient.
In Emergencies
Always select group O RBC units when the patient's blood type cannot be determined on a current specimen.