ABO Problems: History is Not Always a Thing of the Past

Clinical Laboratory Science, Summer 2004 by Thompson, Christina, Peters, Nicole, Neal, Marinella

Two cases are presented to demonstrate the importance of a complete history for the solution of ABO typing problems. The first case is a 53-year-old male with a history of multiple myeloma and stem cell transplant. This patient presented with a blood type of A positive although blood bank records showed a B positive blood type. The second case is a 57-year-old male admitted to the hospital in septic shock and anemia. Blood typing results showed an A positive with mixed field reaction in the front type. No history or blood type was on record at the admitting hospital. Discussion with the patient's family revealed a liver transplant at a medical center in another city two weeks previously. These cases and the literature discussion present the transfusion challenges associated with stem cell and organ transplantation.

Christina Thompson EdD CLS(NCA), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi TX; Nicole Peters, Marinella Neal, Christus Spohn Shoreline, Corpus Christi TX.