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Feline blood donation: Description and adverse reactions from 29 201 donation events between 2019 and 2023
Samantha S Taylor1, Helena C M Ferreira2, André F P Cambra2
1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
Insights
Feline blood donation is generally safe, with rare adverse reactions. Conscious donation increases the risk of adverse events, suggesting sedation may improve donor safety.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Hematology
- Comparative Medicine
Background:
- Feline blood transfusions are critical for treating various cat illnesses.
- Ensuring donor cat safety is paramount to successful transfusion programs.
- Adverse reactions in feline donors can range from cardiorespiratory to behavioral issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze a large cohort of feline blood donation events.
- To document the use of sedation and anxiolysis in feline donors.
- To determine the frequency, types, and risk factors for adverse reactions in feline blood donors.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 29,201 feline blood donation events over five years.
- Inclusion of signalment, donation volume, sedation status, and adverse reaction data.
- Statistical examination of risk factors, including odds ratios and confidence intervals.
Main Results:
- Adverse reactions were infrequent, occurring at 0.29% (2.88 per 1000 events).
- Most common reactions were cardiorespiratory (0.08%) and behavioral (0.06%).
- Conscious donation was the sole significant risk factor, increasing adverse reaction likelihood by 4.4 times.
Conclusions:
- Feline blood donation exhibits a low incidence of adverse reactions.
- Sedation is recommended to mitigate adverse events and donor stress.
- Optimizing the donation environment and post-donation caregiver education can further enhance safety.
Background:
Feline blood transfusion is required for the treatment of various illnesses in cats, and the safety of donor cats is vital. Donor adverse reactions can include cardiorespiratory, venepuncture-related, and behavioral abnormalities.
Hypothesis/Objectives:
To describe a large number of feline blood donation events and document use of sedation and anxiolysis, record volume of blood collected and describe the frequency, type, and risk factors for, adverse reactions.
Animals:
The study included 7812 individual cats and 29 201 donation events at a blood banking center over 5 years.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of donation event records with signalment, donation volume, sedation status, donation number, and adverse reactions (acute and caregiver reported) recorded. Risk factors for adverse reactions were examined by stratifying data according to groups exposed to relevant predictors and calculating odds ratios with 95% and 99% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results:
Adverse reactions were uncommon (0.29%, 2.88/1000 donor events) and most commonly were cardiorespiratory (0.08%, 0.75/1000 donor events) or behavioral (0.06%, 0.62/1000 donor events). The only risk factor significantly associated with adverse reactions was conscious donation, with conscious donors 4.4 times more likely to have an adverse reaction (95% CI, 2.5-7.9, P ≤ .0001).
Conclusions And Clinical Importance:
Feline blood donation is associated with a low rate of adverse reactions. Sedation should be considered to reduce adverse reactions, and the environment and interactions optimized to reduce donor stress. Caregiver education on care postdonation could reduce behavioral adverse reactions.
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