What is the main reason for cross-matching blood?

The primary reason for cross-matching blood is to test compatibility between donor and recipient blood. This crucial procedure helps prevent transfusion reactions that can occur if incompatible blood types are mixed. Cross-matching involves mixing a small sample of the recipient's serum with the donor's red blood cells to observe any agglutination, which would indicate an immune response due to incompatible blood types.

Ensuring compatibility is vital for patient safety, as transfusing incompatible blood can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening reactions. While determining blood type is an essential part of the blood transfusion process, cross-matching goes beyond that by actively assessing how well the specific donor blood will work with the recipient's blood. Additionally, checking for bloodborne diseases and increasing the efficiency of transfusions are important in the broader context of blood transfusion practices, but they do not directly encompass the main goal of cross-matching itself.