bloodtyping.net
blood typing
Blood typing refers to a method that tells the specific blood type a person has. Your type of blood largely depends on whether certain proteins known as antigens are present or not on the red blood cells. The grouping of blood is based on the ABO system. This system has established for different categories of blood type namely Type A, Type B, Type O and Type AB. The blood type you have depends on the types of blood of your biological parents. For instance, if your father has blood type O and your mother has blood type B, your blood type will be either O or B.
How is blood testing performed? Blood is sucked out of a vein. This suction is usually done from the inside of your elbow or back of your hand. The area of the puncture is cleaned using a germicidal product. The expert places an elastic band around your upper arm to apply pleasure into the area and cause the vein to become bloody swollen. A sterilized needle is then inserted into your vein, pumping blood out into a tube. During this procedure, the expert removes the elastic band so that blood circulation is restored. After collecting the blood, the needle is taken off and a gauze or band-aid is applied to the puncture site.
Instead of a tube, the blood may also be collected into a slide, a test strip, or some small container. The test or procedure done to determine the blood group you have is known as ABO typing. The blood sample taken from you is mixed with some antibodies against blood types A and B. This is done to check if your blood sample if the blood cells agglutinate. If they do, it means that your blood reacts with any of the antibodies.
The second step is known as back typing in which the liquid part of the blood containing no cells is mixed blood types A and B. Individuals who have blood type A have antibodies of anti-B. On the other hand, those who have blood type B have antibodies of anti-A. Individuals with blood type O possess both of these antibodies. These two basic essential steps can be taken to determine your type of blood. Blood typing also tells whether there is an Rh factor on your red blood cells’ surface or not. If you do not have this substance, you are considered as Rh- (negative) and the presence of it makes you Rh+ (positive). The method used in Rh typing is similar to that in ABO typing.
There is no necessary special preparation for a test like this. Persons who take this test usually feel discomfort when the needle is being inserted. Others also complain of a stinging sensation. Afterwards, there might be development of a bruise. Why is really blood testing performed? This test is done basically to determine the type of blood of a person. Why do we need to know our blood type? This is an important detail that health care providers should know when you get blood transfusion because not all types of blood are compatible with one another. For instance, if you have blood type A, you can receive only blood types A and O; if you have blood type B, you can receive only blood types B and O; if you have blood type AB, you can receive blood types A, B, AB and O; and if you have blood type O, you can receive only blood type O. Blood type O can be given to anybody who has any type of blood. This is the reason why people who have blood type O are known as universal blood donors.