Pretransfusion testing and transfusion of uncrossmatched erythrocytes.

191 January 2015 B LOOD transfusion is the most frequent procedure performed during hospital admissions1 and many transfusions are administered in the perioperative period, often on a time-sensitive basis. In this clinical commentary, key points related to pretransfusion testing are reviewed with an emphasis on the electronic crossmatch, as well as the use of uncrossmatched erythrocytes in situations where crossmatch-compatible units are not yet available for transfusion.