Immediate Spin Crossmatch

Often abbreviated as “IS crossmatch,” this is a type of serologic crossmatch performed by adding diluted red cells and patient serum/plasma to a test tube at room temperature, immediately centrifuging (“spinning”), and then examining visually for agglutination. This procedure is only used when a patient lacks evidence of “unexpected” (non-ABO) antibodies, both currently and historically (i.e., if a patient has evidence of a clinically significant antibody now or in the past, they are NOT eligible for an immediate spin crossmatch even if that antibody is no longer detectable!). Immediate spin crossmatches can save transfusion services lots of time, since an incubation and the AHG phase of testing are not required. This crossmatch really is designed for one thing only: Detecting ABO incompatibility between donor red blood cells and recipient serum/plasma.

The electronic (“computer”) crossmatch is an acceptable alternative to an IS crossmatch.

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