Page 6 - Clinical Connections - Spring 2024

RVC RESEARCH STUDY VETERINARY SERVICES RVC.AC.UK
Transfusion medicine
THE RVC BLOOD DONOR PROGRAMME
REACHES 20-YEAR MILESTONE

Karen Humm, Associate Professor in Transfusion Medicine and Emergency and Critical Care,
Charlotte Russo, Head Transfusion Medicine RVN, and Amanda Boag, Vice Principal (Clinical
Services)

he RVC Blood Donor Programme and personality, but what all have in understand how we can provide the best
is vital to the everyday functioning common is they are comfortable in the service to them and also how we can use
T of the Queen Mother Hospital donor room and with us. the blood they provide in the most effective
for Animals. The blood products it Donations take about five minutes way.
provides allow our specialist clinical for both dogs and cats. The dogs love Consequently, we conduct research into
teams to help hundreds of animals all the fuss they get and cats enjoy the many aspects of the blood donation and
every year. The products are collected, snacks and strokes. blood transfusion process to understand
prepared and delivered to patients The focus of the RVC Blood Donor how we can improve. We publish the results
via the Transfusion Medicine Service Programme is always to provide the best in journals so vets and vet nurses (and their
(TMS). possible care to our amazing donors. We’ve blood donors and patients) around the world
The TMS was established in 2004 by worked hard over these past 20 years to can benefit from our findings.
Amanda Boag (now Vice Principal for
Clinical Services) and Gillian Gibson
(now in private practice). At that time The first recorded feline blood
transfusion medicine was in its infancy donation, in August 2005, was
in the UK and Europe. There were very for a cat requiring a transfusion
few vets with expertise in this area that day.
and the highly trained role of a blood
donor nurse had yet to be invented Six feline blood transfusions The first recorded unsedated
with passionate RVNs from a range of were performed in 2005 and feline donation was performed
different backgrounds running blood there were five donor cats by Robyn with a cat called
donations when required. registered. Most were Ricochet. Ricochet went on to
Now in 2024, almost every service staff-owned or housemates do 14 unsedated donations
at RVC Small Animal Referrals uses of cats requiring transfusion. over four years.
donated blood products, with the most
frequent users being the Soft Tissue
Surgery Service, the Internal Medicine
Service and the Critical Care Service.
Some of our advanced treatments, 2004 2008
such as cardiothoracic surgery and
plasmapheresis, could not run without
the support of the TMS.
Since 2004, our provision has
built year on year to help more and more
patients. In 2023 we performed 479 canine 2005 2010
blood product transfusions, 163 feline
transfusions and 69 xenotransfusions.
We can keep donated blood as whole
blood but generally we split it into red
blood cells, for anaemic patients, and
plasma, which we use for dogs and The first recorded TMS dog Robyn Taylor became the first The
cats with low levels of clotting factors. blood donation was in nurse to run the programme fundraising for the Blood Donor

Plasma can also be useful in critically September 2004 with the first full-time. She developed the Programme.
recorded dog transfusion was
ill patients to support their circulatory days later. He was a dog called novel technique of using a was a large blood bank freezer

for plasma products, which is
sterile tube welder to weld
system. In addition, our blood donor Monty with precursor-targeted empty sterile bags to the bag of
nurses also make special products to immune-mediated anaemia. donated blood, creating smaller
help patients with inherited diseases units without having to breach
where they lack specific clotting There were 36 blood the unit and affect expiry dates.
factors, such as haemophilia. transfusions in 2004 and 19 This maximised the use of
We currently have 150 active canine canine donors were registered products, enabling one
donors and 62 felines. Our donors by the end of the year. Most donation to go to multiple
vary hugely – in blood type, breed donors were staff-owned. patients.

6 Spring 2024