A comparison of acid-elution techniques and alpha-fetoprotein levels for the detection of fetomaternal bleeding.
Practical and reliable methods to identify and/or quantitate fetal blood are becoming more important in the modern practice of obstetrics. In this study, two commercially available acid-elution techniques were compared with plasma -alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) by simultaneously testing samples of fetal blood mixed with adult blood in fixed ratios. Thirty-one samples representing a range of amounts of fetomaternal hemorrhage, from 0.024 to 48 ml, were analyzed. The acid-elution techniques were equally effective in detecting fetomaternal hemorrhage greater than 15 ml, but the bmc Reagent set was the most accurate for detection of small numbers of fetal erythrocytes. The accuracy of AFP was greater than that of either acid-elution technique, but its clinical usefulness is limited by the necessity for a prehemorrhage sample.
D005260:Female; D005331:Fetomaternal Transfusion / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins