Rh disease laboratory findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Maternal blood

• The Kleihauer-Betke test or flow cytometry on a postnatal maternal blood sample can confirm that foetal blood has passed into the maternal circulation and can also be used to estimate the amount of fetal blood that has passed into the maternal circulation.

• The indirect Coombs test is used to screen blood from antenatal women for IgG antibodies that may pass through the placenta and cause hemolytic disease of the newborn.

Fetal blood (or umbilical cord blood)

• The direct Coombs test is used to confirm that the fetus or neonate has an immune mediated hemolytic anemia.

• Full blood count – the hemoglobin level and platelet count are important

• Bilirubin (total and indirect)

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