
Sometimes access to testing facilities is not immediately at hand, or there is insufficient time available to order a blood type test and cross-match in order to ensure accurate blood type matching before treatment is administered. While blood type testing will generally always be done in instances where a transfusion is required, this is not always possible. However, in life-threatening emergencies where substantial blood loss has occurred, time is of the essence in administering a transfusion. either blood of a different group or mismatched Rh factor) are exceptionally rare.

With modern testing, transfusions using mismatched blood types (i.e. In these instances, it is imperative that the correct blood type be given. Knowing your blood type is important prior to surgery and in emergency medical situations where you may have lost a great deal of blood and require a life-saving blood transfusion. Why is knowing your blood type useful? Prior to surgery or in emergency situations

If this antigen is present, your blood is referred to as rhesus positive (Rh+) or 'positive' and if it's not, then your blood type is rhesus negative (Rh-) or 'negative'.įrom ABO and Rhesus factor blood typing, the eight blood types are derived as follows: The blood groups are determined according to these as follow: Blood GroupĪnother element to blood typing is based on the absence or presence of the Rhesus (RH) factor or D-antigen (RhD) on the surface of the red blood cells. An individual with a certain blood type will thus develop antibodies against the antigens that they don't naturally have. If an antigen is identified as being ' foreign' these cells will be targeted by the immune system and destroyed.

While blood type testing is not generally part of routine medical health screening, a doctor or clinic may order a blood type test: It is dictated by the absence or presence of certain proteins (or in some cases, carbohydrates), known as antigens, on the surface of the red blood cells, as well as the antibodies (protective proteins that help to fight off foreign bodies, infection and disease-causing invaders) present in the blood's plasma (the liquid part of the blood without the cells). Your blood type is a genetic trait that is inherited based on what your parents have passed down to you 1, much like your eye and hair colour. Rapid Results and home blood type test kit optionsĪ blood type test also referred to as an ABO blood group test or 'blood typing', determines your ABO blood group and RH (rhesus) type. Understanding how different blood types are determined
