[(Partially) automated gel techniques for determining erythrocyte antigens and antibodies]

Today, in addition to the classical test tube technology to determine red blood cell antigens and antibodies, not only the microtitration plate is increasingly used, but also the gel card. Since this new technology is easy to practice and since it further provides a higher specificity and sensitivity, we investigated whether, and if so to what extent, the gel card can be automated. On the basis of our own experience spanning many years, we were able to show that antigen determinations and antibody screening can be automated. Once the samples to be tested and the tests to be performed have been recorded by electronic data processing and combined in a job list, any sampler can distribute liquids, such as reagents and serum and/or plasma as well as red blood cell suspensions, on the basis of these data. A positive sample identification is made feasible by bar coding sample tubes and gel cards; the pipetting action is organized via the bar codes. Incubation and centrifugation are of secondary importance for automation. At this time, an automatic evaluation of gel cards is not yet possible so that result interpretation must be visual and the input of results must be manual. For documentation, however, laboratory books and result interpretation reports can be printed out automatically.