title: Detection of irregular red cell antibodies: more than 3 years of experience with a gel technique and pooled screening cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate more than 3 years of experience with a gel technique in combination with pooled screening cells for the detection of irregular red cell antibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional serologic methods were used for blood typing, antibody screening and cross-matching until the end of 1992. We introduced the gel technique as a routine assay for antibody detection and identification in 1993.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the tube technique had been abandoned, the number of false-positive antibody screening tests was reduced by 71%, positive antibody screening tests by 33%, enzyme agglutination by 100% and rouleaux reactions and cold-reacting antibodies by more than 50%. There was a 40% increase in first-time detection of clinically relevant antibodies. We saw no increase in delayed haemolytic transfusion reactions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the detection of irregular red cell antibodies, pooled screening cells in combination with a gel technique are at least as efficient and safe as a conventional tube technique with unpooled test cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Titlestad
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Georgsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kristensen
mesh_terms: D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D003298:Coombs Test; D003911:Dextrans; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D005782:Gels; D007518:Isoantibodies; C025614:sephadex