Strict vs lenient criteria for elution testing: comparison of yields between two tertiary care medical centers

In this study, 2 patient populations, using different elution strategies, were compared to evaluate eluate yields under more and less restrictive conditions. An informative eluate was defined as one in which an antibody that could be clinically significant was detected in the eluate but was not detectable in the plasma at the time of elution testing. The results for 160 direct antiglobulin tests (DATs) and 160 elution studies were evaluated in 71 patients at the adult hospital (lenient criteria). The results for 372 DATs and 43 elution studies were evaluated in 123 patients at the pediatric hospital (strict criteria). The yields from these eluates were 0.6% at the adult hospital (C antibody) vs 2.3% at the pediatric hospital (Jk(a) antibody). Thus, the yield of information from eluate testing is low regardless of the stringency applied to testing. However, considering the cost and time required for testing, more stringent criteria are advised.