Book Reviews - Laboratory Medicine

An Introduction to
Immunohematology, 3rd ed
Neville J. Bryant
515 pp, $39.95, ISBN0-7216-3883-X,
Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1994.
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144
LABORATORY MEDICINE
VOLUME 26, NUMBER 2
FEBRUARY 1995
Dorothy E. Zaczkowski, MT(ASCP)SBB
Supervisor, Manchester Memorial Hospital Blood
Bank, Department of Pathology
Manchester, Conn
Downloaded from http://labmed.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on October 14, 2016
,
Medical technology students and seasoned blood
bankers will find this a useful guide that details
the history, theory, and practical applications of
immunohematology. It investigates basic genetics, immunology, red cell blood group systems,
white cell (HLA) antigens, hemolytic diseases,
practical aspects (blood donation and blood
component preparation), and blood bank techniques. The textbook introduces the novice to the
world of blood banking and provides a concise
and comprehensive review for the experienced
blood banker.
I really enjoyed the "Brief History of Blood
Transfusion," which followed the preface. This
interesting history of immunohematology begins
with William Harvey's lecture on the circulation
of blood in 1616 and ends with a brief discussion
of hazards such as transfusion reactions and the
transmission of infectious diseases.
The text stops short of its potential to be the
ideal reference source for medical technology students due to shortcomings involving outdated,
incorrect, or omitted information. Some material
contradicts two American Association of Blood
Banks (AABB) references cited in the suggested
reading list: Standards for Blood Banks and
Transfusion Services, 15th edition, and the
Technical Manual, 11th edition. For example,
errors on component preparation occur in the
chapter on whole blood and blood components.
The author states that platelets and fresh frozen
plasma (FFP) must be prepared no more than six
hours after whole blood collection and cryoprecipitate must be made from FFP frozen within six
hours of whole blood collection. AABB standards
set the time limit for the preparation of these
components as eight hours. The storage time of
red blood cells frozen at -65°C is incorrectly given
as three years; the storage time should be no
more than ten years. The expiration time of
thawed FFP is given as two hours after thawing;
the correct time limit is 24 hours. Elsewhere as
well, information is not based upon current
AABB requirements.
Pertinent information is omitted in other chapters. In the chapter on Jk blood group system, antiJkb is not included in the list as demonstrating
dosage. A blood bank enhancement reagents list is
provided but omits polyethylene glycol (PEG).
The chapter on adverse reactions to transfusions
does not mention the hepatitis C virus with the
other transfusion-associated viruses.
Apart from these discrepancies, the book is
well written and comprehensive. Neville J. Bryant
covers all the fundamental information in the
field of immunohematology in a clear, concise,
and easygoing manner. After these contradictions
and omissions are corrected, the fourth edition of
An Introduction to Immunohematology should
become the blood bank text in all medical technology programs.®