Blood clotting problems after blunt trauma in dogs and cats

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) in dogs and cats following blunt trauma and to relate coagulation variables with injury severity and admission variables. DESIGN: Prospective, single center, observational study from 2013 to 2014. SETTING: Urban private referral hospital. ANIMALS: Eighteen and 19 client-owned dogs and cats, respectively, sustaining blunt trauma within 8 hours of presentation without prior resuscitation; 17 healthy staff and client-owned control cats METHODS: Blood samples were collected upon presentation for measurement of blood gas, lactate, blood glucose, ionized calcium, PCV, total plasma protein, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, platelet count, and thromboelastography. RESULTS: ATC was diagnosed in 1 dog and 1 cat on presentation. Hypercoagulability was documented in 4/18 (22%) of dogs and 1/19 (5.3%) of cats. In dogs, prolongation of PT (P = 0.018), aPTT (P = 0.013) and decrease in maximum amplitude (MA) (P = 0.027) were significantly associated with injury severity as measured by the animal trauma triage (ATT) score. In cats, PT, aPTT, MA, and clot strength (G) were not associated with injury severity. In cats, increasing blood glucose and lactate were significantly associated with decreasing MA (P = 0.041, P = 0.031) and G (P = 0.014, P = 0.03). In both dogs (P = 0.002) and cats (P = 0.007), fibrinogen concentration was significantly correlated with G. CONCLUSIONS: ATC is rare in minimally injured dogs and cats following blunt trauma. In dogs, ATT score is significantly associated with PT, aPTT, and MA, suggesting an increased risk of ATC in more severely injured animals. ATT score does not appear to predict coagulopathies in cats. Future studies including more severely injured animals are warranted to better characterize coagulation changes associated with blunt trauma.