Coombs test

AKA Antiglobulin test. Two types: Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT) and Indirect Antiglobulin Test (IAT). Direct detects Abs or complement bound to patient's RBCs while Indirect detects Abs against RBCs in the patient's Serum (plasma). An example of DAT positive disease is Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. An example of IAT is detecting Alloantibodies in the patient's plasma prior to transfusing them with a specific type of RBC (e.g. Kell negative RBC).