Diagnostic Usefulness of Antibody Identification Test Including Enzyme Method

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Many medical institutions in Korea have recently been performing an antibody screening test as one of the essential elements of a pre-transfusion test. In this study we will determine the advantage and clinical significance of adding an enzyme method to the antiglobulin method while conducting the antibody identification test. METHODS: We performed antibody identification tests between December 2002 and December 2005, for a total of 37 months at Pusan National University Hospital. In this study we have analyzed 550 cases that were conducted by both the antiglobulin method and the enzyme method at the same time. RESULTS: A total of 111 of the results were cases of detection using the adding an enzyme method. Among these results, Rh antibodies that included the anti-E had the highest number of results 77 (69.4%), 28 antibody (25.2%), 2 anti-P1 (1.8%) and one anti-Jkb (0.9%). CONCLUSION: Using the enzyme method in the antibody identification test proved to us that there were more clinically significant warm antibodies than cold antibodies. In order to have a more secured transfusion, it is required to identify a clinically significant antibody using the additional enzyme method during the antibody identification test.