Introduction to Antibody Identification

Several effective approaches to antibody identification in the routine blood bank exist. This presentation explains a conservative approach to antibody identification and several demonstrations of ruling out, choosing appropriate selected cells, and completing antibody workups are given.

Originally published on December 15, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lecture Presenter
Justin R. Rhees, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, SBBCM, MLS(ASCP)CM SBBCM
Justin R. Rhees, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, SBBCM
Assistant Professor, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine

Justin received his M.S. Degree in Laboratory Medicine and Biomedical Science at the University of Utah. He is a Specialist in Blood Bank Technology, board certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and is an active member of AABB, the South Central Association of Blood Banks (SCABB), and the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS).

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

State the clinical utility of antibody identification.
Describe the principle and procedure of the antibody identification tests.
Explain heterozygosity and homozygosity as they apply to antibody identification.
List allelic pairs in the following blood group systems: Rh, Duffy, Kidd, MNSs.
Given patient test results, work through the antibody identification process.