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Red blood cell transfusions in cats: 126 cases (1999)
Debra A Klaser1, Nyssa J Reine, Ann E Hohenhaus
1Bobst Hospital and the Jaqua Transfusion Medicine Service, The Animal Medical Center, 510 E 62nd St, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Insights
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions increase packed cell volume (PCV) in anemic cats. While survival rates are lower than in non-transfused cats, this is not due to transfusion reactions, highlighting the need for blood typing.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Hematology
- Transfusion Medicine
Background:
- Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are critical interventions for anemic cats.
- Understanding transfusion outcomes, reaction rates, and influencing factors is essential for veterinary practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the outcomes of RBC transfusions in cats.
- To identify reasons for transfusions, transfusion reaction incidence, blood type prevalence, and clinical results.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study reviewed medical records of 126 cats receiving whole blood or packed RBC transfusions.
- Data collected included signalment, blood type, pre- and post-transfusion PCV, volume administered, anemia cause, transfusion reactions, and outcome.
Main Results:
- Anemia causes included blood loss (52%), hemolysis (10%), and erythropoietic failure (38%).
- Mean PCV increase was 6%; 94% of cats had blood type A.
- Acute transfusion reactions occurred in 11 cats, and 60% of cats survived to discharge.
Conclusions:
- RBC transfusions effectively increased PCV across all anemia etiologies in cats.
- Higher mortality in transfused cats may relate to underlying disease severity, not transfusion reactions.
- Pretransfusion blood typing or crossmatching is crucial to minimize adverse events.
Objective:
To determine the number of and reasons for RBC transfusions, incidence of acute transfusion reactions, prevalence of blood types, volume of blood administered, change in PCV, and clinical outcome in cats.
Design:
Retrospective study.
Animals:
126 cats that received RBC transfusions.
Procedure:
Medical records of cats that received whole blood or packed RBC transfusions were reviewed for signalment, blood type, pre- and post-transfusion PCV, volume of blood product administered, clinical diagnosis and cause of anemia, clinical signs of acute transfusion reactions, and clinical outcome.
Results:
Mean volume of whole blood administered i.v. was 172 mL/kg (7.8 mL/lb) versus 9.3 mL/kg (4.2 mL/lb) for packed RBCs. Ninety-four percent of cats had blood type A. Mean increase in PCV among all cats was 6%. Fifty-two percent of cats had anemia attributed to blood loss, 10% had anemia attributed to hemolysis, and 38% had anemia attributed to erythropoietic failure. Acute transfusion reactions occurred in 11 cats. Sixty percent of cats survived until discharge.
Conclusions And Clinical Relevance:
RBC transfusions resulted in an increase in PCV in cats with all causes of anemia in this study. The rate of death was greater than in cats that did not receive transfusions, but seriousness of the underlying disease in the 2 groups may not be comparable. Death rate of cats that received transfusions was not attributable to a high rate of transfusion reactions. Results confirm that pretransfusion blood typing or crossmatching is required to minimize the risk of adverse reactions.
