Anti-D Ig for the prevention of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (BSCH)
BCSH guideline for the use of anti-D immunoglobulin for the prevention of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn
The objective of this guideline is to provide healthcare professionals with practical guidance on the use of anti-D Ig as immunoprophylaxis to prevent sensitisation to the D antigen during pregnancy or at delivery for the prevention of HDN.
This guideline is an update of the 2006 BCSH guideline on the use of anti-D immunoglobulin for Rh prophylaxis (Parker et al., 2006), and takes into account the updated NICE guidance for routine antenatal anti-D prophylaxis (NICE, 2008). This revision also aims to ensure concordance with other BCSH guidelines including guidelines for estimation of fetomaternal haemorrhage (BCSH, 2009), blood grouping and antibody testing in pregnancy (BCSH, 2007) and recently published compatibility procedures in blood transfusion laboratories (Milkins et al., 2012) as well as professional guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecologists (RCOG Green Top No22, updated 2011).