Fetal-maternal hemorrhage detection in Ontario

The results from fetal-maternal hemorrhage (FMH) detection and quantitation external quality assessment surveys conducted in Ontario indicate that the rosette test had a sensitivity and specificity for an FMH of more than 10 mL of 1.0 and 0.75, respectively, compared with 0.96 and 0.92, respectively, for acid elution. With FMH quantitation, the percentage error of the mean from the target FMH was 20% or more in 7 of 8 surveys, and coefficients of variation ranged from 39.5% to 71.8%. Inadequate Rho(D) immune globulin prophylaxis could have occurred in 19.4% of the challenges with an FMH of more than 10 mL. The rosette and acid elution techniques are both effective for the detection or exclusion of FMH, but acid elution lacks adequate accuracy and precision for reliable FMH quantitation. Furthermore, a strategy of prescribing an extra 1,500-IU Rho(D) immune globulin dose, in addition to the dose required to treat the volume of fetal blood detected, is an effective strategy to overcome the limitations of FMH quantitation by acid elution.