An update on the 2005 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Consensus Statement on blood donor infectious disease screening was presented at the 2015 ACVIM Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, followed by panel and audience discussion. The updated consensus statement is presented below. The consensus statement aims to provide guidance on appropriate blood‐borne pathogen testing for canine and feline blood donors in North America.

Leukoreduction of blood products is a technique used to prevent leukocyte-induced transfusion reactions. Filters currently used for human blood products achieve at least a 99.9% reduction in leukocyte numbers per unit (450 mL) of blood. Goals of this study were to determine if a prestorage leukoreduction filter could effectively achieve leukoreduction of canine blood and to determine if viability of the leukoreduced red blood cell (RBC) product could be maintained after 35 days of storage. Blood collected from each dog was filtered through a leukoreduction filter at either room temperature or after cooling (4ЊC) for 4 hours. Filtration efficacy was determined by measurement of pre-and postfiltration leukocyte counts. In vitro viability of RBCs was determined by comparing RBC adenosine triphosphate concentration and percent hemolysis before and after the storage period. In vivo viability of stored cells was determined using a biotin-streptavidin-phycoerythrin labeling technique and flow cytometry. Blood filtered within 30 minutes of collection versus blood filtered after cooling had mean reductions in leukocyte numbers of 88.90 and 99.99%, respectively. The mean ATP and hemoglobin concentrations from the in vitro analysis were comparable to those obtained in previously for canine RBC adequately stored for 35 days. The mean in vivo 24-hour survival of the stored RBC was 84.7%. The leukoreduction filter used did not adversely affect in vitro or in vivo viability of canine RBCs. The filter effectively removed leukocytes from blood, with maximal efficiency of filtration achieved with use of cooled blood.

Thousands of blood transfusions are performed each year on dogs and cats, and the demand for blood products continues to grow. Risks associated with transfusions include the risk of disease transmission. Appropriate screening of blood donors for bloodborne infectious disease agents should be performed to lessen this risk. Geographic restrictions of disease, breed predilection, and documentation of actual disease transmission by transfusion all are factors that might need to be considered when making a decision on what screening program to use. In addition, factors involving general health care and management of blood donors should be employed to further ensure blood safety.

Objective To use a systematic, evidence‐based consensus process to develop definitions for transfusion reactions in dogs and cats. Design Evidence evaluation of the literature was carried out for identified transfusion reaction types in dogs and cats. Reaction definitions were generated based on synthesis of human and veterinary literature. Consensus on the definitions was achieved through Delphi‐style surveys. Draft recommendations were made available through industry specialty listservs and comments were incorporated. Results Definitions with imputability criteria were developed for 14 types of transfusion reactions. Conclusions The evidence review and consensus process resulted in definitions that can be used to facilitate future veterinary transfusion reaction research.

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