title: Statistical evaluation of red cell antibody panels.
abstract: The evaluation of a red cell antibody identification panel is a subjective and lengthy process. This study evaluated red cell panels using several statistical parameters and derived an objective, numerical tool for panel evaluation. Nineteen panels were subjectively evaluated by five immunohematologists; a composite ranking was derived from a compilation of their subjective evaluations. A rank indicative of good general utility correlated with 1) the extent to which the panel was composed of red cells with homozygous genotypes in each blood group system, and 2) the number of antibody specificity exclusions which could be made using the panel. A statistical predictor of panel rank was empirically derived based on a score dependent upon the zygosity of each cell in each antigen system and the relative clinical importance of antibodies of each of these specificities. This numerical tool could be applied to a panel in less than 5 minutes. The objective evaluation on each panel tested closely correlated with the composite subjective rank (r = 0.935; p less than 0.001). Objective numerical evaluation of red cell panels may be useful in their rapid evaluation and comparison, particularly during their construction by computers.
mesh_terms: D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000379:methods; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D007518:Isoantibodies