If a patient has antibodies against high-incidence antigens, what is the recommended course of action?

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Multiple Choice

If a patient has antibodies against high-incidence antigens, what is the recommended course of action?

When antibodies are directed against high-incidence antigens, the priority is to precisely identify the antibody and determine which antigen is involved, then locate antigen-negative donor units. A reference laboratory can perform antibody identification and provide guidance on obtaining units lacking that specific antigen, which often means searching rare donor registries or performing extended phenotyping/genotyping. Since high-incidence antigens are present on most donor red cells, simply using universal donor blood or relying on ABO compatibility is not enough to ensure compatibility. Autologous transfusion is not a practical solution for unexpected alloantibodies.

When antibodies are directed against high-incidence antigens, the priority is to precisely identify the antibody and determine which antigen is involved, then locate antigen-negative donor units. A reference laboratory can perform antibody identification and provide guidance on obtaining units lacking that specific antigen, which often means searching rare donor registries or performing extended phenotyping/genotyping. Since high-incidence antigens are present on most donor red cells, simply using universal donor blood or relying on ABO compatibility is not enough to ensure compatibility. Autologous transfusion is not a practical solution for unexpected alloantibodies.

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