NRL for Immunohematology

The department is included in the Complement of the laboratories of the IHBT. It continuously advocates an independent and impartial assessment of the professional competence of the Complement of Laboratories according to the ČSN EN ISO 15189 standard, the application of which is verified by the Czech Institute for Accreditation. The test methods within the scope of accreditation are defined by the Annex to the Certificate of Accreditation in the current version, which is available on the IHBT website.

NRL performs specialized immunohematological examinations, which are aimed at solving difficult cases in blood grouping, pre-transfusion examinations and antibody testing from all laboratories in the Czech and Slovak Republic; it also solves difficult cases of immunohematological complications in pregnancy, in autoimmune haemolytic conditions and in interference of biological treatment with monoclonal antibodies with laboratory tests. Immunohematological diagnostics is gradually being extended to molecular biological methods, including blood group genotyping by microarrays (BloodChip and FluoGene).

The laboratory maintains a bank of frozen rare erythrocytes and antibodies (as a member of the international SCARF exchange group). The laboratory also coordinates the national rare blood donor registry and collaborates with the rare frozen blood bank at the Institute of Medical Research and contributes to the International Rare Blood Donor Registry in Bristol, UK, to which it has access and is able to coordinate the acquisition of suitable transfusion products. It collaborates with the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Bristol and a number of other immunohematology sites worldwide to verify unusual findings.

Newly introduced reagents and systems for the determination of blood markers and antibodies within the country are being validated in the laboratory.

The laboratory prepares samples for external quality control of immunohematological examinations in the Czech Republic within SEKK s.r.o. - Immunohematology (IH) and Direct Antiglobulin Test (PAT) cycles.

Furthermore, platelet, granulocyte and HLA antibodies are examined in the laboratory and subsequently platelet antigens are typed. The laboratory also investigates cases of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).

The staff is bound by confidentiality according to the Health Services Act, 372/2011 Coll.

Confidence and high data security is one of the basic priorities within the activities of the Complement of Laboratories of the IHBT. The established procedures are carried out in accordance with the Personal Data Processing Act 110/2019 Coll. and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC. More information is available on the IHBT website.