Use of Fetal Hemoglobin Quantitation for Rh Positive Pregnant Females

[...] the majority of 816 participants noted that requests for alternative fetal hemoglobin quantitation testing came from obstetrical/birthing departments (461; 56.5%), followed by emergency departments (280; 34.3%).[...] underestimation may also occur because of the known decreasing hemoglobin F (HbF) content of fetal erythrocytes with advancing gestational age. 13 By term, HbF may represent only 70% of the hemoglobin of the fetal red blood cell, and may be missed because of light staining. 13, 14 Lastly, false-negative results could occur in situations where preformed antibodies, such as in ABO-incompatible pregnancies, result in the removal of fetal red cells by the maternal reticuloendothelial system before detection by a KB test. 13 In contrast, overestimation may occur because maternal HbF can mimic the appearance of true fetal red cells and can lead to false-positive results. Of the remaining studies, 8 …