Allogenic blood patch pleurodesis for continuous pneumothorax in three cats

Abstract

Case series summary Following diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy, three cats developed a continuous pneumothorax. All three cats required continuous suction to evacuate air from the thoracic cavity. Despite continuous suction, the pneumothorax persisted for all cats and blood patch pleurodesis (BPP) was performed using blood donor cats. All three cats had resolution of their pneumothorax within 24 h of BPP. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of BPP used in feline patients. More recently autologous BPP has been reported for use in dogs and humans, with a reportedly high success rate. BPP may allow timely resolution of continuous pneumothorax in cats and provide an alternative treatment option to prolonged medical management or surgical intervention. Allogenic blood from a donor cat may be necessitated in feline BPP when cardiovascular instability is appreciated in these small patients.

Therapeutic use of autologous blood patch pleurodesis for continuous pneumothorax in a feline pyothorax

“…), hypotension, acute kidney injury and was subsequently euthanized 10 . In cats, conditions have been limited to trauma and diaphragmatic hernia repair 6 …”

“…However, because lung volumes differ from one patient to another it has been suggested that the dose should be related to surface area of the pleura and a dose of 1 ml/kg should be sufficient to seal the leak 26 . In a retrospective study in dogs, the amount of blood administered ranged between 5–10 mL/kg 6,10 . A recent case report in cats using allogeneic blood patch pleurodesis also used 5–10 mL/kg.…”

“…A recent case report in cats using allogeneic blood patch pleurodesis also used 5–10 mL/kg. In that case, blood for pleurodesis was collected from blood type‐matched feline donors 6 . Because an autologous blood patch was used in this case, we used a slightly less volume of 4.5 ml/kg, which still proved effective.…”

“…Continuous pneumothorax can be medically managed with intermittent aspiration using syringes or use of a continuous suction device. In patients that fail medical management, surgical exploratory is often recommended to identify the source of the leakage 5,6,8 …”

“…Pleurodesis with whole blood has shown to be effective, painless and inexpensive in both humans and dogs 9–12 . A recent veterinary case report demonstrated that allogeneic blood patch pleurodesis was also effective in felines that developed continuous pneumothorax following diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy 6 …”