FOETO-MATERNAL HAEMORRHAGE AND BLOOD GROUPS

To observe the rate of transplacental passage of foetal erythrocytes into maternal circulation, a total of 96 samples including 48 intravenous blood samples of mothers and 48 cord blood samples of the newborns were subjected to ABO and Rh blood typing. Each maternal blood sample was processed for the detection of foetal cells following Kleihauer's, 1957 technique. An overall incidence of 62.50 percent of FMH was found in the present study. The distribution of FMH cases among various motherneonate combinations has also been observed. The results indicate that ABO compatible motherpeonate combinations are 73.52 percent FMH positives as compared to only 35.3 x71 percent (FMH positive) cases in the incompatible combinations and this difference has been found to be statistically significant. The results also indicate prevalence of intermediate (100.00 percent) and mild haemorrhages (66.66 to 87.50 percent) in the ABO compatible mother-neonate combinations which are positive for FMH. The amount of haemorrhage has been found to be less in the ABO incompatible mother-neonate Combintions.