NURS 3112 Study Guide - Final Guide: Hydrops Fetalis, Hemolytic Disease Of The Newborn, Heart Failure
23 Jun 2017
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Care of the woman at risk for rh alloimmunization. The rh blood group is present on the surface of erythrocytes of most of the population. When it is present a person is said to be rh positive. Those without the factor are rh negative. If an rh-negative person is exposed to rh-positive blood, an antigen- antibody response occurs, antibodies are formed, and the person is said to be sensitized. Subsequent exposure to rh-positive blood can then cause a serious reaction that results in agglutination and hemolysis of red blood cells (rbcs). Rh alloimmunization (sensitization), also called isoimmunization, most often occurs when an rh-negative woman carries an rh-positive fetus either to term or to termination by miscarriage or induced abortion. A number of known rbc antigens are involved in the rh system, all of which are controlled by three pairs of genes: cc,dd, and ee. Screening of the rh negative woman for d antibodies is widely accepted.
