Sangue intero ed emocomponenti ad uso trasfusionale nel cane = Whole Blood and Blood Products in Canine Transfusion Medicine

The use of blood products administration to treat critically ill animals has increased tremendously. Whole blood and blood products administration is related to the inherent risks of transmitting infectious diseases or causing adverse reactions. Using blood component therapy is a safer and more efficient way of using blood resources. The most common indication for transfusions of whole blood and packed red blood cells (PRBC) is anemia. Transfusions are required after loss of the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity such as blood loss, decreased erythrocyte production, and hemolyzing conditions. Depending on the, type degree, rapidity, of the anemia and the synotms related to anemia, a transfusion with stored packed red blood cells, fresh whole blood or stored wholeblood, may be used. Animals with rapidly progressive anemia should be transfused when the Hct is approximately 20% but a patient with chronic anemia may not require transfusion despite having a much lower Hct. To minimize the risk of adverse reactions whole blood and stored RBC can bee leukoreduced. The benefit of leukoreductions is that it can decrease the incidence of nonhemolytic transfusion reactions. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and Frozen plasma (FP) are used in veterinary practice to treat coagulopathies causing serious bleeding, because this products contains coagulation factors. Other blood products such as Cryoprecipitate, rich in fibrinogen, fibronectin, factor VIII, and von Willebrand factor and cryoprecipitate-poor plasma are used less commonly in dogs for treatment of bleeding caused by these plasma protein deficiencies.