title: Implementation of a mandatory donor RHD screening in Switzerland.
abstract: Starting in 2013, blood donors must be tested at least using: (1) one monoclonal anti-D and one anti-CDE (alternatively full RhCcEe phenotyping), and (2) all RhD negative donors must be tested for RHD exons 5 and 10 plus one further exonic, or intronic RHD specificity, according to the guidelines of the Blood Transfusion Service of the Swiss Red Cross (BTS SRC). In 2012 an adequate stock of RHD screened donors was built. Of all 25,370 RhD negative Swiss donors tested in 2012, 20,015 tested at BTS Berne and 5355 at BTS Zürich, showed 120 (0.47%) RHD positivity. Thirty-seven (0.15%) had to be redefined as RhD positive. Routine molecular RHD screening is reliable, rapid and cost-effective and provides safer RBC units in Switzerland.
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sofia Lejon
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Crottet
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henny
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Still
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stolz
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neuenschwander
authors.affiliation: SRC Blood Transfusion Service, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Behrouz Mansouri
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Taleghani
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gowland
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Beat M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hustinx
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Berne, Berne, Switzerland. Electronic address: christoph.niederhauser@bsd-be.ch.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niederhauser
authors.affiliation: Blood Transfusion Service SRC Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: c.gassner@zhbsd.ch.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gassner
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000235:genetics*; D013557:Switzerland
chemical_list: D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; C026410:Rho(D) antigen
keywords: Molecular RHD screening; National guidelines; Rhesus D