Respiratory deterioration following whole blood transfusion in a dog
Case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31533/pubvet.v20n8e1999Keywords:
anemia, pulmonary edema, transfusion reactionsAbstract
Anemia is characterized by a decrease in red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and/or hematocrit (Hct) below normal ranges and may become life-threatening if tissue hypoxia develops. Blood transfusion may be necessary to stabilize dogs with severe anemia, although it is not without risks. This report aimed to describe the clinical course of a dog with severe anemia that developed respiratory deterioration following whole blood transfusion. A male Poodle was presented to the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (UEMA) with apathy, prostration, neurological abnormalities, a hematocrit of 12.5%, and thrombocytopenia. Whole blood PCR testing detected Ehrlichia sp. and Anaplasma sp., and whole blood transfusion was indicated in an attempt to achieve clinical stabilization. Following the procedure, preexisting dyspnea worsened. Thoracic radiographs revealed increased pulmonary opacity, tending toward an alveolar pattern in the caudal lung lobes, with pneumonia and pulmonary edema considered differential diagnoses. Given the temporal association with transfusion, transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) were considered, but neither diagnosis was confirmed. The patient subsequently died. The available data did not allow the cause of respiratory deterioration to be established or death to be attributed to the transfusion. This report highlights the importance of clinical monitoring during and after transfusion and of investigating both transfusion-related and non-transfusion-related causes of respiratory deterioration.
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