Patent ID: 9182389
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting the presence or absence and optionally, the volume, of Rh positive cells in a liquid blood cell sample comprising Rh negative cells from an Rh negative woman suspected of containing Rh positive cells and suspected of requiring the administration of a dose of an Rh immunoglobulin to prevent a future Rh immunization which comprises: a) providing in a reaction vessel a liquid mixture comprising: b) incubating said liquid mixture to allow said Rh positive cells, if present, to react with said agglutinating anti-D antibody to form complexes and aggregates therewith in said liquid mixture, to form an incubated liquid reaction mixture in said reaction vessel, c) contacting said incubated liquid reaction mixture to a transparent or opaque separating solution contained in a test vessel, d) allowing said aggregates and complexes, if formed in step b) above, to move through said separating solution by gravity or by centrifugal force, to a site in said test vessel comprising an Rh positive cell volume measuring zone, at which the presence or absence, and optionally, the volume, of said aggregates and complexes, when formed, may be determined in said test vessel when the optional determination of the volume of said aggregates and complexes is selected, at said Rh positive cell volume measuring zone, said separating solution being configured to retard the speed of movement of unreacted maternal Rh negative cells compared to the speed of movement of said complexes and aggregates, e) visualizing the separating solution at said Rh positive cell volume measuring zone to detect the presence of formed cell aggregates and complexes if said Rh positive cells are present in said blood cell sample or the absence of formed cell aggregates and cell complexes if said Rh positive cells are absent from said blood cell sample, and optionally measuring the volume of said Rh positive cells, if present at said Rh positive cell volume measuring zone when the optional determination of the volume of said formed aggregates and complexes is selected, wherein the volume of said Rh positive cells is used as the basis for the administration of a dose of an Rh immunoglobulin to said Rh negative woman to prevent a future Rh immunization.