[The present state of prevention of rhesus immunisation (author's transl)].

Rhesus factor immunisation and its complications should disappear if the indications and the techniques for abolishing it are followed. The indications follow from the usual mechanism by which immunisation occurs. This is the passage of Rh positive fetal red blood cells into the maternal circulation where they are detected by Kleihauer's test. If in pregnancy uterine bleeding, of accidental trauma occur or if amniocentesis, versions, operations on the pregnant uterus are performed or intrauterine death occurs, the necessary preventive action has to be performed on a rhesus negative woman. When pregnancy comes to an end, be it because of delivery at term when every rhesus negative woman who has not been immunised has to be treated (if the infant is rhesus positive) so the same applies after spontaneous abortion, extra-uterine pregnancy and especially after therapeutic termination of pregnancy after which it is often forgotten. The technique is simple: Within 72 hours a dose of 85 micrograms of anti D globulin is enough if injected intravenously or intramuscularly. Sometimes this quantity has to be increased, however, when the Kleihauer test has shown that more than 5 ml of rhesus positive blood has passed into the maternal circulation, or if blood of the wrong group has been transfused. The dose to neutralise 1 ml of blood is 10 micrograms.