Paper I
Question
What is Direct Coomb’s test.
Answer
The Direct Coombs test (Direct Antiglobulin Test, DAT) detects antibodies or complement already bound to the surface of a patient’s own red blood cells in vivo. The patient’s washed red cells are mixed directly with Coombs reagent (anti-human globulin); agglutination indicates that antibody/complement is coating the red cells — used to diagnose autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and haemolytic disease of the newborn.