Blood Typing Guidelines

Introduction to Blood Typing

• Blood type testing should be performed in a clinical laboratory setting using standardized methods such as hemagglutination or gel column techniques, not through direct-to-consumer testing, as recommended by the American Society of Clinical Pathology 1

Blood Typing Methods

• Blood typing typically includes ABO and RhD typing, which is the most fundamental blood group determination and essential for safe transfusion, according to the American Association of Blood Banks 1
• Extended phenotyping, including testing for Rh (C/c, E/e) and K antigens, is recommended for patients who may need transfusions, as stated by the National Institute of Health 1

Special Considerations

• Hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease, may require extended antigen matching, as noted by the American College of Medical Genetics 1
• Pregnancy can affect certain blood typing results, as reported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2

Laboratory Considerations

• Recent transfusions can create a mixed field of red cells (chimerism), complicating blood typing, as described by the International Society of Blood Transfusion 1