A patient has been diagnosed with anemia. The physician suspects an immune hemolytic anemia and orders a Coombs test. The patient asks the nurse what this test will tell the doctor. The nurse replies,
A)
"They will wash your RBCs and then mix the cells with a reagent to see if they clump together."
B)
"They will look at your RBCs under a microscope to see if they have an irregular shape (poikilocytosis)."
C)
"They will be looking to see if you have enough ferritin in your blood."
D)
"They are looking for the presence of antibody or complement on the surface of the RBC."
Ans:
D
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The Coombs test is used to diagnose immune hemolytic anemias. It detects the presence of antibody or complement on the surface of the red cell. Answer choice A refers to direct antiglobulin test (DAT). Answer choice B refers to blood smear test. Answer choice C refers to iron stores test.
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