Blood type check is an examination carried out to find out a person's blood type. There are 2 types of blood grouping that are often used, namely the ABO system and the Rhesus (Rh) system.
Examination of this blood type is based on a combination of specific antigens and antibodies that are in the blood cells, which are passed down through genes from parents.
For the ABO system, antigens are on the surface of red blood cells and antibodies are in the blood plasma, which is the blood in the form of yellow liquid. This system divides blood groups into 4, namely:
- Blood type A, has a combination of antigen A and antibody B.
- Blood type B, has a combination of B antigen and antibody A.
- Blood type AB, has antigens A and B, but does not have antibodies A and B.
- Blood type O, has antibodies A and B, but does not have antigens A or B.
Meanwhile, the Rhesus (Rh) system divides blood into 2 groups, namely
Rh + (positive) for blood that has Rhesus antigens, and
Rh- (negative) for blood that does not have Rhesus antigens.
Because it lacks antigens, blood type O is often referred to as a universal donor or can donate blood to all blood groups, and blood type AB is called universal recipient because it has no antibodies so that it can receive blood from any blood group. However, this term is now considered inappropriate, because receiving blood from type O blood can also cause serious reactions during a transfusion, if there are differences in blood type and Rhesus.
Blood Group Check Indications
Patients are advised to undergo blood type tests both when they want to donate blood or when they want to receive blood transfusions. This aims to avoid fatal complications during blood transfusion, namely the destruction of blood cells (hemolysis). A person's immune system will see antigens that do not match themselves as foreign matter, so antibodies in the body will attack and destroy blood cells. The destruction of these blood cells can cause anemia, kidney failure, lung disorders, to anaphylactic shock.
In addition to the need for transfusion, blood type checks are also needed when wanting to donate or receive donor organs. For pregnant women, blood type checks are important to prevent Rhesus incompatibility in the baby to be born. This can happen when a pregnant woman has an Rh-blood type and has Rhesus antibodies, but her husband has an Rh + blood type. It is possible that the child has an Rh + blood type, so that when the baby is born, the baby will experience severe hemolytic anemia due to Rhesus antibody attacks from his mother.
Before Checking Blood Type
There is no special preparation before blood type examination. This test can be done directly in a laboratory, clinic, or hospital.
Blood Type Check Procedure
Check blood type is done by taking a blood sample first. Laboratory personnel will tie elastic straps around the patient's upper arm, so that the blood vessels in the elbow fold are blocked and easily seen. After that, the doctor will clean the skin around the blood vessels with alcohol to avoid contamination of germs on the skin with a needle. After that, the syringe will be inserted into a vein through the skin to take blood samples. The patient will feel a little pain in this process. After the blood sample is taken, the syringe will be pulled out slowly, and the injection point will be covered with a cotton swab and a plaster to stop the bleeding. Apart from veins, blood samples can also be taken from capillaries in the tips of the fingers.
There are 2 steps that will be carried out by laboratory analysts to examine the type of blood type, namely:
- First the patient's blood will be mixed with antibodies A or B. For example, if the patient has blood type A, when given antibody A, the blood will be destroyed. Or if someone has blood type AB, when given antibodies A or B then the person's blood will be destroyed.
- The second is a reversed check, therefore called back typing. This examination is done by examining the patient's serum or blood plasma (which contains antibodies) and mixed with the blood of other people who have antigens A or B. If the patient's blood is blood type B (in blood plasma has antibody A), when mixed with group A blood (has antigen A), there will be destruction. Or if the patient has blood type O (in plasma has antibodies A and B), when mixed with blood group A or B, destruction will also occur.
Rhesus examination is carried out using the same method as the ABO group in the first stage. Blood will be mixed with Rh (anti-Rh) antibodies. If the patient has an Rh + blood group, it will be destroyed when given anti-Rh.
After Checking Blood Type
Blood type examination results can generally be received in a matter of minutes, and the person can donate blood or receive a blood transfusion from blood that matches his blood type.
Side Effects and Complications of Blood Type Checks
Although rare, side effects or complications that can arise after taking a blood sample for blood type examination are:
- Feel dizzy
- Passed out
- Infection at the injection site
- Bleeding
- Bleeding under the skin (hematoma)
See your doctor immediately if side effects don't subside or get worse, to get treatment.
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