The type and screen: a safe alternative and supplement in selected surgical procedures

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Immunology
• Blood Banking

Background:

• Routine pretransfusion testing involves type and screen (T&S) and crossmatch.
• The crossmatch confirms ABO compatibility but may not be necessary for all procedures.
• Evaluating the efficacy of T&S alone is crucial for optimizing blood bank workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the type and screen procedure in preventing incompatible blood transfusions.
• To determine if type and screen can replace the routine two-unit crossmatch for certain surgical procedures.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 12,848 blood specimens from 1975.
• Detection of antibodies using screening reagent red blood cells.
• Calculation of incompatibility frequencies based on antigen prevalence.

Main Results:

• 283 antibodies were detected in 247 patients.
• Screening reagent red blood cells detected 96.11% of antibodies.
• Type and screen demonstrated 99.99% effectiveness in preventing incompatible transfusions when considering antigen frequencies.

Conclusions:

• Type and screen is a highly effective method for preventing incompatible blood transfusions.
• Type and screen can be safely substituted for routine two-unit crossmatches in procedures not typically requiring transfusions.
• Adopting type and screen can reduce patient costs, improve blood supply distribution, and enhance blood bank technologist efficiency.