Transfusion Medicine: An Update on Antigens, Antibodies and Serologic Testing in Dogs and Cats.

Red blood cell transfusions have become an integral component in the treatment of anemic patients and the number of transfusions continues to increase from year to year in both veterinary and human medicine. Although crucial, red blood cell transfusions are not benign and can lead to serious adverse reactions. Therefore, determining the most appropriate donor unit to use for transfusion can be challenging. As transfusion medicine evolves, greater numbers of blood surface antigens are being documented and pretransfusion testing protocols are becoming more complex. In order to better understand this evolving field, this review presents the basic immunology of pretransfusion testing, including methodologies of blood typing and crossmatch testing, and their application in canine and feline medicine.