Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Higher death risk in dogs with pneumonia after transfusion of older
By Solomon, Steven B et al.·Published in Blood·2013·Critical Care Medicine Department, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mortality increases after massive exchange transfusion with older stored blood in canines with experimental pneumonia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old beagle with pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus was part of a study to see how different ages of blood transfusions affected recovery. The dog received either fresh blood or blood that had been stored for 42 days. Unfortunately, the older blood was linked to higher death rates and worsened lung damage, leading to more severe breathing problems. The study found that using older blood increased the risk of complications and death in dogs with pneumonia.
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Abstract
Two-year-old purpose-bred beagles (n = 24) infected with Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia were randomized in a blinded fashion for exchange transfusion with either 7- or 42-day-old canine universal donor blood (80 mL/kg in 4 divided doses). Older blood increased mortality (P = .0005), the arterial alveolar oxygen gradient (24-48 hours after infection; P ≤ .01), systemic and pulmonary pressures during transfusion (4-16 hours) and pulmonary pressures for ~ 10 hours afterward (all P ≤ .02). Further, older blood caused more severe lung damage, evidenced by increased necrosis, hemorrhage, and thrombosis (P = .03) noted at the infection site postmortem. Plasma cell–free hemoglobin and nitric oxide (NO) consumption capability were elevated and haptoglobin levels were decreased with older blood during and for 32 hours after transfusion (all P ≤ .03). The low haptoglobin (r = 0.61; P = .003) and high NO consumption levels at 24 hours (r = −0.76; P < .0001) were associated with poor survival. Plasma nontransferrin-bound and labile iron were significantly elevated only during transfusion (both P = .03) and not associated with survival (P = NS). These data from canines indicate that older blood after transfusion has a propensity to hemolyze in vivo, releases vasoconstrictive cell-free hemoglobin over days, worsens pulmonary hypertension, gas exchange, and ischemic vascular damage in the infected lung, and thereby increases the risk of death from transfusion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23255558/