Transfusion practice in Australia: an internet‐based survey

Abstract

Objective To describe small animal transfusion practices in Australia, including access to blood products and frequency of pre‐transfusion compatibility testing and medication administration. Methods An online survey was disseminated to target Australian veterinarians treating dogs and cats. Information collected included demographics, sources of blood products, blood storage, recipient compatibility testing and administration of medications pre‐transfusion. Associations between the use of compatibility tests and premedications were assessed using the χ2 test. Significance was set at P < 0.05. Results A total of 199 Australian veterinarians were included; however, there was some attrition of respondents over the course of the survey. The majority of respondents were in general practice (n = 133/199). Access to fresh whole blood was commonly reported for dogs (n = 179/199) and cats (n = 131/198), whereas blood components were less commonly available (canine red blood cells [RBC], n = 52/199 and plasma, n = 157/199; feline RBC, n = 9/198 and plasma, n = 21/198). Most blood was sourced from the pets of owners affiliated with the veterinary clinic (n = 179/196). The respondents who did not blood type or crossmatch dogs were significantly more likely to use premedication than those who did these tests (both comparisons: P < 0.001). Likewise, the respondents who did not blood‐type cats were significantly more likely to use premedication (P = 0.003); however, there was no association between crossmatching and using premedication in cats (P = 0.183). Conclusion This is the first survey to describe transfusion practices across a variety of practice types throughout Australia. Future work is needed to determine how representative these results are of current transfusion practices across Australia, and if so, what can be done to optimise them.

2021 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Collection and Administration of Blood and Blood Products in Cats

“…30 A recent Australian study, surveying primarily general veterinary practitioners, reported that compatibility testing, including cross-matching, before feline blood transfusions was commonly performed; cross-matching alone by 26% of respondents, blood typing alone by 27.6%, and both by 34.1% of respondents. 31…”

“…65,66 In some circumstances, canine blood may be more readily available than feline blood, and also in larger volumes, leading to its occasional use. 31 Potential indications for xenotransfusion include a previous transfusion reaction to feline blood products, insufficient time to blood type the recipient, unavailability of suitable feline blood products in sufficient quantities, or financial constraints. Xenotransfusion is mainly used for short-term stabilisation of an anaemic cat, allowing time for investigations or to obtain compatible feline blood, or time for endogenous erythropoiesis to correct the anaemia [65][66][67][68] with or without appropriate treatment.…”

The content of leukocytes in the blood of recipient rabbits after allogeneic transfusion of packed red blood cells

“…Risk of such complications increases in cases of non-compliance to the bloodtransfusion protocols. For example, a study found that practicing veterinaries in Australia conducted assessments of compatibility of donor blood and blood of recipient animals prior to allogeneic transfusion for only about a half of dogs and cats, leading to development of various posttransfusion reactions (Poh et al, 2021).…”