[Immunological safety in blood transfusion. Current practical rules (author's transl)]

Immunological safety in blood transfusion necessitates good organization, on one hand in the department responsible for the reception of the patient, and on the other hand, in the immunohematological laboratory. Perfect cooperation between the clinicians and the biologists is indispensable. Four tests are essential to ensure the biological surveillance of blood transfusions: ABO and Rhesus (D) typing, screening of irregular agglutinins, the compatibility test and the final check at the patient's bed side. Justified indications for each examination and their perfect technical realization are the two conditions necessary for the success of blood transfusions, it is still very frequent to see these precise rules neglected.