Clinical Utility of Flow Cytometry for Detection of Anti-Jk^b IgM in Acute Haemolytic Transfusion Reaction: A Case Report

Acute hemolytic transfusion reaction (AHTR) is a rare but life-threatening complication of transfusion. We herein report a case of anti-Jkb IgM-related AHTR. Two hours after an 80-year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome received a packed red blood cell (RBC) A+/Rh-/Jkb+/c- transfusion, he developed acute respiratory failure and a fever. Although he had tested negative in routine screening tests, the 37 °C normal saline test was weakly positive for Jkb. We confirmed the presence of anti-Jkb IgM in the patient's serum by flow cytometry. This case demonstrates the potential utility of flow cytometry for IgM detection.