SELECTION OF ANTICOAGULANT - PRESERVATIVES FOR CANINE AND FELINE BLOOD-STORAGE

The use of stored blood or blood products for transfusion purposes is becoming an increasingly common therapeutic practice in veterinary med icine. The length of time that blood can be stored is influenced by th e type of anticoagulant, anticoagulant-preservative, or additive solut ion into which it is collected and prepared. This article discusses th e various solutions available for pretransfusion blood collection and storage, the effect of storage on red blood cells, evaluation of stora ge solutions, and new types of solutions or storage techniques current ly being developed.