[Manual polybrene test versus saline test as a means of detecting alloantibodies against red cells in the pretransfusion examination].

Two tests for detecting red cell alloantibodies in pre-transfusion studies were compared. Saline test is a well-known and recognized method, although it has a disadvantage: the 30 minutes incubation time at 37 degrees C can become a problem in emergencies. In such cases a method as quick as polybrene manual test (PMT), as recommended by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Manual, seems the method of choice. So, in spite of the good results attained by us with the saline test, both methods were subjected to comparison. The results achieved with the saline test were better than with the PMT since this last failed to detected one anti-D, two anti-E and two anti-K antibodies, plus a warm antibody of undetermined specificity. All the antibodies not detected by PMT have clinical significance, so we decided not to use PMT in routine pre-transfusion testing.