In the blood bank, which technique is used to determine the presence of ABO discrepancies?

The technique used to determine the presence of ABO discrepancies is blood group typing. Blood group typing involves testing a patient's blood against known anti-A and anti-B sera to identify the presence or absence of A and B antigens on the surface of red blood cells. If there is a discrepancy, such as unexpected agglutination patterns, it could indicate the presence of additional antibodies, partial antigens, or other factors affecting the expected result.

Identifying discrepancies during blood group typing is crucial as it ensures accurate blood transfusions and compatibility. Situations that might lead to discrepancies include the presence of cold agglutinins, weak or missing antigens, or the production of unexpected antibodies. The results from blood group typing lead to further investigation and resolution of any discrepancies to maintain patient safety.

Other techniques like enzyme treatment, crossmatching, and antibody screening serve different purposes in blood banking and may help in other areas of testing but do not directly determine discrepancies in ABO typing as effectively as blood group typing does.