NRL for Immunohematology

The workplace is included in the Complement of Laboratories ÚHKT. It continuously defends an independent and impartial assessment of expert competence of the Complement of Laboratories according to the standard ČSN EN ISO 15189, whose application is verified by the Czech Institute for Accreditation. Examination methods within the scope of accreditation are defined by the annex of the Accreditation Certificate in its current version, which is available on the website of ÚHKT.

NRL performs specialized immunohematological examinations aimed at resolving difficult cases in blood group determination, pretransfusion examinations and antibody examinations from all laboratories of the Czech and Slovak Republics; it also resolves difficult cases of immunohematological complications in pregnancy, in autoimmune hemolytic states and in interference of biological treatment with monoclonal antibodies with laboratory tests. Immunohematological diagnostics is gradually being expanded with molecular-biological methods, including blood group genotyping using microarrays (BloodChip and FluoGene). 

The laboratory maintains a bank of frozen rare erythrocytes and antibodies (as a member of the international exchange group SCARF). The laboratory also coordinates a national register of rare blood donors and cooperates with the bank of rare frozen blood at the Military University Hospital and also contributes to the International Register of Rare Donors in Bristol in Great Britain, to which it has access and at the same time has the opportunity to coordinate obtaining an appropriate blood transfusion product. It cooperates with the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory in Bristol and a number of other world immunohematological workplaces in verifying unusual findings.

The laboratory verifies newly introduced reagents and systems for determining blood markers and antibodies within the Czech Republic.

The laboratory prepares samples for external quality control of immunohematological examinations in the Czech Republic within SEKK s.r.o. - cycles of Immunohematology (IH) and Direct Antiglobulin Test (PAT). 
Furthermore, platelet, granulocyte and HLA antibodies are examined in the laboratory and subsequently platelet antigens are typed. The laboratory also examines cases of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).

Employees are bound by confidentiality in accordance with the Act on Healthcare Services, 372/2011 Coll.

Trust and high security of data is one of the basic priorities in the activities of the Complement of Laboratories ÚHKT. The established procedures are carried out in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 110/2019 Coll., and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC. More information is available on the website of ÚHKT.