How many of you currently perform auto controls on all patients? We currently do and are looking at eliminating them on patients with negative antibody screens. Just curious what everyone else is doing? Thanks in advance for you input.

I don't recall the specific reference but if you were to do a reference search in TRANSFUSION you wil come up with a number of papers concerning dropping the Auto Control. The one I'm thinking of specifically was researched and written by the folks at the University of Michigan, John Judd et al. It's the one I referenced when we dropped the auto control about 15 years ago. It was the first step that started us down that long slippery slope ending in electronic crossmatches.

We perform auto controls only when running panels. We do not perform autocontrols with antibody screen testing. Hope this helps!!!

Same as Banktech, above.

Scott

Same as Banktech. We perform an AC with a panel when a patient with no history has a positive screen and when patients with a history of antibody show reactions with rule out cells.

Same as above for at least the past 10 years. I think the Technical Manual recommends against routine AC or DAT with antibody screens.

We perform auto controls only when running panels. We do not perform autocontrols with antibody screen testing. Hope this helps!!!

Same here!!

Auto control with abid; not routinely with ab screen

Swiss regulations require a DAT with the antibody screen if patient has been transfused in the two weeks prior to the test. No requirement for auto control - but would be put up routinely with panels

I guess I should have noted that we still performed Auto Control / DAT (techs choice) when doing an ABID but stopped doing them routinely with all antibody screens about 15+ years ago. :surrender

Currently: We do an auto control with antibody ID only (manual gel or PeG tube).

We will be automating to solid phase (TANGO) in the next few weeks. We will use PeG tube as our secondary/backup method. TANGO panels do not have an auto control. BioRad said we can "run a direct coombs". I always felt an auto control should be run under the same conditions as your test cells. We decided we will not routinely run a DAT with TANGO panels. If, however, we detect a new antibody in a recently transfused patient or if all panel cells are positive we will perform a DAT.

Similar to Galvania.

We dropped the auto many years ago; we just do them with panels. If our auto is positive, then we do a DAT.

Same as Terri

auto control only with antibody ID panels, not done routinely.