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Objective To systematically review available evidence to develop guidelines for the prevention of transfusion reactions and monitoring of transfusion administration in dogs and cats.Design Evidence evaluation of the literature (identified through Medline searches through Pubmed and Google Scholar searches) was carried out for identified transfusion reaction types in dogs and cats. Evidence was evaluated using PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) questions generated for each reaction type. Evidence was categorized by level of evidence (LOE) and quality (Good, Fair, or Poor). Guidelines for prevention and monitoring were generated based on the synthesis of the evidence. Consensus on the final recommendations and a proposed transfusion administration monitoring form was achieved through Delphi-style surveys. Draft recommendations and the monitoring form were made available through veterinary specialty listservs and comments were incorporated.Results Twenty-nine guidelines and a transfusion administration monitoring form were formulated from the evidence review with a high degree of consensusConclusions This systematic evidence evaluation process yielded recommended prevention and monitoring guidelines and a proposed transfusion administration form. However, significant knowledge gaps were identified, demonstrating the need for additional research in veterinary transfusion medicine.

Objective To systematically review available evidence to develop guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of transfusion-associated reactions in dogs and cats.Design Standardized and systemic evaluation of the literature (identified through Medline via PubMed and Google Scholar searches) was carried out for identified transfusion reaction types in dogs and cats. The available evidence was evaluated using PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) questions generated for each reaction type. The evidence was categorized by level of evidence (LOE) and quality (Good, Fair, or Poor). Guidelines, diagnostic, and treatment algorithms were generated based on the evaluation of the evidence. Consensus on the final guidelines was achieved through Delphi-style surveys. Draft recommendations were disseminated through veterinary specialty listservs for review and comments, which were evaluated and integrated prior to final publication.Results Medline via PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched. There were 14 Population Intervention Comparison Outcome questions identified and corresponding worksheets were developed focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of transfusion-associated reactions in dogs and cats. Fourteen guidelines and four algorithms were developed with a high degree of consensus.Conclusions This systematic evidence evaluation process yielded recommended diagnostic and treatment algorithms for use in practice. However, significant knowledge gaps were identified, demonstrating the need for additional research in veterinary transfusion medicine.

Background An inverse relationship between healthcare utilization and distance to care has been previously described. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this effect related to emergency and essential surgical care in central Haiti. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of operative logbooks from the Clinique Bon Sauveur in Cange, Haiti, from 2008 to 2010. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the home locations of all patients. Spearman's correlation was used to determine the relationship between surgical utilization and distance, and a multivariate linear regression model identified characteristics associated with differences in distances traveled to care. Results The highest annual surgical utilization rate was 184 operations/100 000 inhabitants. We found a significant inverse correlation between surgical utilization rate and distance from residence to hospital (r(s) = -0.68, p = 0.02). The median distance from residence to hospital was 55.9 km. Pediatric patients lived 10.1% closer to the hospital than adults (p