Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with muscle injury shows false high blood bicarbonate levels
By Wynter, Zoe R et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2024·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Artifactually increased serum bicarbonate in a cat with rhabdomyolysis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was brought in because he was lethargic, not eating, and had a fever. Blood tests showed he had severe muscle injury, which can happen in conditions like rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown), and there were unusual results indicating high bicarbonate levels that were likely due to a lab error. After further testing, it was confirmed that the bicarbonate levels were normal, and the cat's condition was properly diagnosed. With appropriate treatment for the muscle injury, the cat was expected to recover.
People also search for: cat lethargy and fever · cat muscle injury treatment · high bicarbonate levels in cats
Abstract
A 3-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat presented with lethargy, hyporexia, and pyrexia of unknown origin. Biochemical analysis using a Beckman Coulter AU480 demonstrated marked increases in creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase, indicative of severe muscle injury, with concurrent presumptive myoglobinuria on urinalysis. A marked, non-physiologic increase in measured bicarbonate and resultant negative anion gap was documented; however, calculated bicarbonate obtained via a point-of-care blood gas analyzer was within normal limits. Laboratory error due to interference by lactate dehydrogenase was suspected and supported by the results of subsequent biochemical testing. Artifactual increases in bicarbonate have been documented in cases of rhabdomyolysis in horses, cows, and a bird. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate this spurious change in a cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38872478/