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Medicine

Blood Typing and Crossmatching in Transfusion Medicine

Quick fact

The most critical blood group system is ABO, where incorrectly matched transfusion can cause a rapid, life-threatening destruction of red cells; that's why patients are tested not just once, but often twice and then crossmatched against donor blood.

Why this is interesting

Have you ever wondered why blood being given to a patient must be 'matched' and what exactly a crossmatch is? A single mismatch can trigger a potentially fatal immune reaction, so how do hospitals avoid it?