AVANHORN

We have a policy here that we do a full AHG crossmatch in tube using enhancement if the backtype is <1+ with IS crossmatch. This is to detect ABO incompatibility as that is the purpose of doing an IS xmatch.

I just read your response to abs reacting to homozygous cells only. We have a patient with anti-D. The C & E antigens on our panel are heterozygous and we will not find homozygous cells for these. Do you go to the trouble of antigen typing the patient to see if they are E-C-, which is most likely the case, and give them E-,C- AHG crossmached units only? I have never really worried about this in the past especially since most Rh negative units are E-,C-. What's your take on this one?

AABB Standards requires you to do an antibody screen if you have no record of one during the patient's current pregnancy. It seems silly to do the screen as anti-D is often still detected from the antenatal Rhogam injection. If we would find anti-D and were not sure where it came from, the doctors here would want to give the Rhogam anyways so it seems a waste of our time and supplies to do them. We are no longer AABB accreditated and was wondering if anyone else that is not AABB accreditated has dropped doing the antibody screens.