Increasing the Number of Panel Cells for Unexpected Antibody Screening: Is It Economically Worth It? / 대한수혈학회지

ABSTRACT

The unexpected antibody screening test is one of the most important pretransfusion tests. The tests are usually performed using commercial cells, which in Asia may not include clinically important antigens. To overcome this limitation, some laboratories use additional screening cells, including Di a or Mi a . However, these efforts are not supported by the Korean National Health Insurance system. The estimated total medical costs for using additional screening cells are less than the estimated total medical costs for the management of potential hemolytic transfusion reactions caused by missing clinically important antibodies. Hence, it is recommended that the Health Insurance system should be modified to take this into account and address the issue.