WHAT IS CROSS MATCH TEST?
Cross-matching is a series of tests that are performed before the blood transfusion. It is a test that is performed to check the compatibility of the donor’s blood with the patient’s blood. It is done to identify if there are any unsafe interaction between your blood and the donor’s blood. In the cross match and infectious disease test, the first stage is to analyze the blood type that is also known as blood typing. This test looks for your blood type among all the blood types that are A, B, AB, or O. To identify the Rh type of your blood this test is carried, this test lets your health examiner know about whether the Rh type is positive or negative. This step of blood tying is very important because the doctor became aware of your blood type and it helps in selecting a compatible blood donor before performing a cross match.
Cross matching is done to expect how your body will respond to the donor’s material or if there would be any harmful interaction between the two (donor and recipient blood) or not.
Another step that comes after blood typing and before cross-matching is recipient antibody screening. This test is done to detect the presence of antibodies in the bloodstream. If any of the antibodies are detected then it is not possible to select a compatible donor or the selection is delayed.
TYPES OF CROSS MATCH
There are two types of cross matches. Both of the types are as follows:
MAJOR CROSS MATCH
Major match the most significant one as it checks if the patient has done an antibody against any antigens on the cell of the donor. In a major cross match, the donor erythrocytes are compared to the patient’s serum.
MINOR CROSS MATCH
It is the vice versa of the major crossmatch, in minor cross-match the donor’s serum is tested again recipients red blood cells. The minor crossmatch detects for preformed antibodies in the serum of the donor that could hemolysis the patient’s red cells.
WHAT DOES TEST RESULT MEAN?
The test results are not the same for everyone. It may depend on your health history, gender, and age, there is a difference in the test results as it may vary from person to person. Your health care examiner will tell what your test result means. The main reason for performing cross matches and identifying infectious diseases is to find a compatible donor. The blood tying results will tell you what blood type you have among blood types A, B, AB, O, and if you are Rh positive or negative. And the cross-match test will let your doctor know if there are any bodies present in your blood or not. If there will be very low antibodies found in your then you are good to go for a blood transfusion and it will be confirmed that your blood type is compatible with donor.
GET TESTED AT AWAMI LAB
Awami Lab is a trusted resource for providing the best health care services. The crossmatch tests are performed by professional lab technicians. The Awami lab makes sure that the test results will be authentic and the reports will be delivered to the patient immediately without any delay.