Blood Products and Transfusions

Question 1

Indications for Blood Products (5)

Answer 1

Anaemia
Coagulopathy
TCP- Thrombocytopaenia
Thrombopathia
Hypoproteinaemia

Question 2

Possible issue with blood products (2)

Answer 2

Anaphalaxis or anaphalaxtoid
TRALI- Transfusion related Acute Lung Injury
humans and small animals

Question 3

Indication for RBC transfusion

Answer 3

Anaemia
If rapidly progressive clinical signs evident at 20-25%; chronic anaemia may have limited clinical signs at 10%
Per acute blood loss will not be evident clinic-pathologically for several hours in small animals and upto a day in the horse
* Intercompartmental fluid shifts Will have clinical signs however

Question 4

Signs relevant to decide on need for transfusion

Answer 4

HR, CRT
RR
BP
Blood lactate
Blood gas
(PvO2
Arterial
PaO2)

Question 5

Minimum PCV before surgery

Answer 5

20%

Question 6

Indications for Fresh Frozen Plasma (3)

Answer 6

1. Coagulopathies
2. SIRS and Sepsis
3. Hypoproteinaemia

Question 7

What oxyglobin

Answer 7

Artificial solution that carries oxygen
Not always available and expensive

Question 8

What is an autotransfusion

Answer 8

Removing blood from cavity after bleeding and give it back to the animal
e.g. haemoabdomen

Question 9

What does DEA stand for

Answer 9

Dog erythrocyte antigen

Question 10

How many DEAs are there

Answer 10

12

Question 11

What is the most significant canine blood type

Answer 11

DEA 1.1 - haemolysis with sensitisation

Question 12

What blood type is universal donor in dogs

Answer 12

DEA 1.1 negative

Question 13

How often should cats blood be typed

Answer 13

always

Question 14

What are cat blood groups

Answer 14

A/B AB
A dominant over B
AB extremely rare

Question 15

Important to remember for horse blood transfusions

Answer 15

Horses destroy other red cells very fast and make their own slowly
Usually destroy within 5 day- blood transfusions are quick fixes to give horse short period to learn to compensate

Question 16

Horse blood groups

Answer 16

Theoretically AaQa-ve animals are ‘universal donors’
Usually get mild reactions
Cold-blooded horses most likely QaAa negative
TB’s and hotbloods most likely

Question 17

Should you crossmatch for horses

Answer 17

Can usually avoid the need to crossmatch for the first 7 days

Question 18

Should you cross match for cows, sheep and goats

Answer 18

Usually OK to receive blood transfusions if needed without crossmatch in the first 5-7 dd
CANNOT separate RBC and plasma –always use whole blood
Complex blood groups

Question 19

What is a major crossmatch

Answer 19

Recipients plasma
donor cells

Question 20

What is a minor crossmatch

Answer 20

Donors plasma
recipients cells

Question 21

When do you see sensitisation in dogs

Answer 21

1-2 weeks

Question 22

Volume of blood products to give to cats/sheep/goats

Answer 22

10ml/kg
PCV>30%

Question 23

Volume of blood products to give to dogs/horses/cows

Answer 23

15-20ml/kg
PCV>40%

Question 24

Temperature of blood products

Answer 24

Only cool once
Give cool unless give straight away
Exception is neonates and large volumes to trauma patients

Question 25

How to give blood products

Answer 25

IV or IO not IP (intrapetioneal)

Question 26

How to start giving blood products

Answer 26

1-3ml over 5-10min and observe reactions

Question 27

Time for complete infusion of bag of blood products

Answer 27

bag over 4 hrs