Effect of leukoreduction on inflammation in critically ill dogs receiving red blood cell transfusions: A randomized blinded controlled clinical trial.

Background: Prestorage leukoreduction of red blood cell (RBC) bags prevents accumulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and experimentally attenuates post-transfusion inflammation in healthy dogs. However, the effect of leukoreduction on post-transfusion inflammation in critically ill dogs is unclear.

Hypothesis: Dogs transfused with leukoreduced (LR) RBC will have lower concentrations of leukocytes, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP) within 24 hours of post-transfusion compared to dogs transfused with nonleukoreduced (NLR) RBC.