Practice Test Geeks(MLS) Medical Laboratory Scientist Practice Test
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Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine Flashcards

7 cards from real MLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine flashcards as text

  1. Which transfusion reaction presents with fever, chills, and rigors within 1–6 hours post-transfusion without evidence of hemolysis?

    Answer: Febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reaction (FNHTR)

    FNHTR is caused by recipient antibodies against donor leukocyte HLA antigens or by cytokines that accumulate in stored blood products, producing fever without red cell destruction.

  2. Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is primarily caused by:

    Answer: Donor antibodies activating recipient neutrophils in the lung vasculature

    TRALI is predominantly caused by donor anti-HLA or anti-neutrophil antibodies that activate recipient neutrophils, triggering inflammatory lung injury within 6 hours of transfusion.

  3. An antibody identification panel in the blood bank is primarily used to:

    Answer: Identify the specificity of unexpected antibodies in patient serum

    An antibody identification panel uses a set of reagent red cells with known antigen profiles to determine the specificity of an unexpected antibody detected in the patient's serum or plasma.

  4. The Kleihauer-Betke acid elution test is used to:

    Answer: Quantify the volume of fetal red cells in maternal circulation

    The Kleihauer-Betke test detects fetal hemoglobin (HbF) resistant to acid elution in maternal blood, allowing calculation of fetomaternal hemorrhage volume to determine Rh immune globulin dosing.

  5. An acute hemolytic transfusion reaction (AHTR) is most commonly caused by:

    Answer: ABO incompatibility due to clerical or identification error

    The majority of fatal AHTRs result from ABO incompatibility caused by clerical errors — such as transfusing the wrong blood to the wrong patient — leading to complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis.

  6. Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA) is most commonly associated with which type of autoantibody?

    Answer: IgG pan-reactive antibody active at 37°C

    WAIHA is characterized by IgG autoantibodies that react optimally at 37°C (body temperature) and are broadly reactive against common Rh antigens, producing a positive DAT (IgG).

  7. Enzyme treatment of reagent red cells (e.g., with papain or ficin) enhances detection of antibodies in which blood group systems?

    Answer: Rh and Kidd systems

    Proteolytic enzymes remove sialic acid from red cell surfaces, enhancing reactivity with Rh and Kidd antibodies while destroying M, N, S, Fy(a), and Fy(b) antigens.