CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

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ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
In the Lab
Procedure—Tube Test for Rh Factor
1. Wash hands and don gloves.
2. Assemble necessary equipment and supplies.
3. Into a 12 × 75 test tube, place one drop of anti-Rh typing serum.
4. Add one drop of washed RBCs into the tube.
5. Mix cells and antiserum by tapping gently with a finger.
6. Incubate the tube in a 37˚C heat block for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Centrifuge the tube for 1 minute, making sure to balance the tube with a blank
tube containing 2 drops of saline or water, or another test if more than one patient
is being tested.
8. Observe over a lighted surface such as that of the view box used for the slide test
method.
9. Agglutination indicates the presence of the D antigen (Figure 17-4).
10. For interpretation, a negative result requires further testing with a more definitive
test, in which a variant of the D antigen may be found as the weak D (D u ).
11. Discard all supplies used for the procedure in the appropriate containers. A disinfectant
should be used to clean the work surfaces and equipment should be
cleaned and restored to its former position. Gloves should be discarded appropriately
and the hands washed thoroughly in accordance with established policies.
Reporting of Results
Interpret your results for the RH procedure according to the following criteria.
Anti-D Protein Control Rh Type
+ – Positive
– – Negative
+/– + Requires further investigation
Summary
The term immunohematology is a combination of hematology, or “study of
blood,” and immunology, which comes from the “study of the immune system,”
although the term “blood banking” is still often heard. Blood component therapy
is most often used to provide RBCs, but also includes platelet transfusions, white
blood cell transfusions, and coagulation factors found in the plasma of blood.
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