Annual Report on the External Quality Assessment Scheme for Blood Bank Tests in Korea (2015)

We report here the results of the external quality assessment scheme (EQA) of blood bank tests in Korea carried out in 2015. The proficiency testing specimens used in the survey were prepared at Ajou University Hospital. The response rates from participating laboratories for the first and second trials were 98.7% (542/549) and 98.2% (544/554), respectively. No answers to tests were considered incorrect, and the average accuracy rates for six different test items on the standard survey were as follows: ABO grouping, 99.4% to 100.0%; RhD typing, 99.4% to 100.0%; crossmatching, 93.6% to 99.0%; direct antiglobulin test (DAT) using a polyspecific reagent, 92.9% to 98.3%; DAT using an IgG monospecific reagent, 94.6% to 100.0%; DAT using a C3d monospecific reagent, 84.2% to 98.6%; unexpected antibody screening test, 94.5% to 100.0%; and antibody identification test, 93.8% to 100.0%. We performed a pilot survey on reactivities to A1 (54 responses) and H (50 responses); Rh C, c, E, and e antigen testing (47 responses); and ABO antibody titration (10-34 responses). We obtained excellent results for this EQA, and these results will be helpful for improving or maintaining the quality of the participating laboratories.

Annual Report on the External Quality Assessment Scheme for Blood Blank Tests in Korea (2014)

We report here the results of surveys on external quality assessment (EQA) of blood bank tests in Korea carried out in 2014. The proficiency testing specimens were prepared at Ajou University Hospital and the response rates for the 1st and 2nd trials were 94.3% (537/549) and 96.0% (545/554), respectively. No answers were considered incorrect, and the average accuracy rates of six different test items on the regular survey were as follows: ABO grouping, 98.5% to 100.0%; RhD typing, 98.1% to 99.4%; crossmatching, 91.2% to 99.6%; direct antiglobulin test (DAT) using a polyspecific reagent, 96.7% to 98.4%; DAT using an immunoglobulin-G monospecific reagent, 93.8% to 98.7%; DAT using a C3d monospecific reagent, 89.5% to 98.7%; unexpected antibody screening test, 96.2% to 100.0%; and antibody identification test, 69.8% to 100.0%. Test items for the pilot survey were reactivities to anti-A1 and anti-H, Rh subgrouping, and ABO antibody titration. Except for the result of the antibody identification test for specimens with multiple antibodies, we obtained excellent survey results for the EQA of blood bank tests carried out in 2014. In addition, the number of participating institutes was higher in 2014 than in 2013. The EQA of blood bank tests in 2014 should be helpful for improving the quality of the participating laboratories.

Annual Report on External Quality Assessment of Blood Bank Tests in Korea (2013) / 임상검사와정도관리

We report here the results of surveys for External Quality Assessment (EQA) of blood bank tests carried out in 2013. The proficiency testing specimens were prepared at Ajou University Hospital and sent to 548 and 545 institutes participating in the 1st and 2nd trial, respectively. Test items for the surveys were ABO grouping, RhD typing, crossmatching, direct antiglobulin test (DAT), antibody screening test, and antibody identification test. The response rates for the 1st and 2nd trials were 94.3% and 96.0%, respectively. No answers were considered incorrect answers, and the average accuracy rates of different test items of the survey were as follows: ABO grouping, 98.9% to 100%; RhD typing, 98.4% to 99.2%; crossmatching, 94.4% to 100.0%; DAT using polyspecific reagent, 94.5% to 99.7%; DAT using IgG monospecific reagent, 94.7% to 98.8%; DAT using C3d monospecific reagent, 91.3% to 98.6%; unexpected antibody screening test, 90.9% to 100%; and antibody identification test, 87.3% to 100.0%. Overall, we obtained excellent survey results for the EQA of blood bank tests carried out in 2013, and the number of participating institutes was higher in 2013 than in 2012.

Evaluation of V Form Microplate Method for Irregular Antibody Screening of Blood Donors / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: Clinically significant hemolytic transfusion reaction by warm-reacting irregular antibodies are tested up to antiglobulin phase. It is known that microplate method show similar or better than conventional tube method. Authors examined the irregular antibody screening of blood donors using V form microplate method at Korean Red Cross Blood Centers and evaluated its usefulness. METHOD: Total 200,246 sera from blood donors were performed antibody screening using the automated blood testing system IBG (IBG Co, UK) and V form microplate method. For the identification in antibody screening positive sera, two kinds of panel cell (Search cyte I,II, Data cyte, DADE Co, USA, and Central Red Cross Blood Center, Korea) were used. RESLUTS: Irregular antibodies were screened in 1,581 cases out of 200,246 samples (positive rate;0.79%). However, the actually identified antibodies were 1,086 (0.54%). The identified antibodies were mostly cold antibody anti-Lea (681 cases), anti-Leb (271 cases), anti-P1 (53 cases) and anti-S, anti-Lua, anti-Fya detected only one case, respectively. The incidence of warm antibody was very low. For antibody screening, the reactivity of V form microplate was much higher than IBG system. CONCLUSION: It would be useful to apply V form microplate method for large number of donor screening. An advantage of this method is its possible automation with substantial time and cost effectiveness. Consequently, the adaptation of this method for antibody screening is suitable for Korean Red Cross Blood Centers.

Evaluation of Treponema pallidum antibody test in blood donors / 대한수혈학회지

BACKGROUND: Current serologic tests for Syphilis(STS) in the blood donors are Veneral Disease Reseach Laboratory(VDRL), Rapid Plasma Reagin(RPR) test or Groupamatic Automated Syphilis Test(GAST) using modified VDRL antigen as screening method, and Treponema Pallidum Hemagglutination(TPHA) test as a confirmatory method in Korean Red Cross Blood Centers. This study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of Enzyme Immunoassay(EIA) as STS in blood donors. METHODS: A total of 11,335 donors s serum samples were tested by RPR and GAST. We analyzed 138 samples including 6 samples of anti-treponema pallidum panel with TPHA and EIA to compare as a confirmatory test. RESULTS: The positive rate of RPR and GAST in 11,335 samples were 0.68%, 0.24%, respectively. Confirmed positive rates by TPHA was 0.26%, and by EIA was 0.27%. False negative results of GAST were 0.11% and 0.13%, respectively according to the results of TPHA and EIA. The agreement between TPHA and EIA was 98.5%(130/132). CONCLUSION: The EIA results were comparable with RPR, GAST and TPHA test. It is considered that EIA method for STS would be alternative one for TPHA as a conformative test because there was excellent agreement between TPHA and EIA method, and EIA method showed almost same results as that of TPHA test.