Definition

Noun: - The process of determining a person's blood group: "Blood typing" refers to the laboratory procedure that identifies the specific type of blood a person has, based on the presence or absence of certain antigens on the surface of red blood cells. This is typically done using serological methods, which involve testing the blood with specific antibodies.

Usage

Blood typing is a critical medical procedure. It is performed: - Before a blood transfusion to ensure compatibility between donor and recipient blood. - During pregnancy to check for potential Rh factor incompatibility between mother and fetus. - As part of routine medical check-ups or when joining a blood donor registry.

Examples

• The hospital performed blood typing on all new patients for their records.
• Accurate blood typing is essential to prevent dangerous transfusion reactions.
• The blood typing results showed she was type O negative.

Advanced Usage

• Forensic blood typing: While largely superseded by DNA analysis, blood typing was historically used in forensic science to include or exclude suspects based on blood evidence.
• Animal blood typing: The term can also be applied to veterinary medicine, where typing is done for pets, especially dogs and cats, prior to transfusions.

Variants and Related Words

• Blood type (n): The classification of blood itself (e.g., A, B, AB, O, and positive or negative Rh factor).
  • Knowing your blood type is important for medical emergencies.
• Type and crossmatch: A related but more comprehensive procedure that includes blood typing and a test to directly check compatibility between donor and recipient blood samples.

Synonyms

• Blood grouping: This is a direct synonym, often used interchangeably with "blood typing."
• Serological typing: A more technical term emphasizing the method used.

Related Phrases

• To type someone's blood: The verbal phrase describing the action of performing the test.
  • The lab will type the patient's blood before surgery.

Noun

1. determining a person's blood type by serological methods