gel card technique- a new method of cross-matching of blood

Crossmatching of blood is routinely done using tube method. This method involves washing steps and takes 90 min (1&1/2 hour). The gel card method introduced by Lappiere et.al is used for crossmatching of blood along with conventional tube method. In gel card method washing steps are not required and the time taken is only 30 min. A comparative study of conventional tube method vs gel card method is performed in 131 cases. The sensitivity and specificity are 100% in both the methods. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods are discussed