Blood group-and-type rapid test approved by FDA Published Sept. 24, 2010 Falls Church, Va. -- A rapid blood-group-and-type testing device has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for information and education use after extensive validation testing by a group of Army medical research organizations. The availability of rapid blood typing on the battlefield with this new device will allow for greater cross-match accuracy during emergency blood transfusions, and requires no special refrigeration or additional supplies. Working together, the Army Medical Department Center and School, the Directorate of Combat and Doctrine Development, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center responded to an unmet operational need to determine the blood type of emergency blood donors in austere conditions. Current emergency blood collections on the battlefield, under extreme conditions, must rely on ID (dog) tags for donor-recipient cross-match. This new diagnostic test, referred to as an ABORh card is a single-use, disposable device that yields visible results in less than two minutes. Rapid results coupled with no need for special refrigeration or other supplies make this device ideal for battlefield use. The Armed Services Blood Program provides fully tested, FDA-licensed blood and blood products to military treatment facilities in the U.S. and throughout the world, including those facilities in-theater. However, extreme battlefield terrain which can make transport difficult and dangerous, as well as instances of mass casualties when blood product inventory can be quickly exhausted, will require emergency blood collections. Production of the ABORh card is expected to begin in three to four months after which the tests will be deployed. To find out more about the Armed Services Blood Program you can visit us online: www.militaryblood.dod.mil or interact with our staff: www.facebook.com/militaryblood To find out more about the Army medical research organizations you can find them here: Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S) and the Directorate of Combat and Doctrine Development (DCDD): www.cs.amedd.army.mil U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC): https://mrmc.detrick.army.mil/ Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC): www.tatrc.org