Evaluation of the Trauma-Associated Severe Hemorrhage score as a predictor of transfusion in traumatized dogs

Objective: To retrospectively study the use of the human-based Trauma-Associated Severe Hemorrhage (TASH) score to predict transfusion needs and outcome in a population of traumatized dogs.

Measurements and main results: The TASH score (comprising sex, hemoglobin concentration, systolic blood pressure, abdominal effusion, heart rate, base excess [BE], and presence of pelvic/femoral fractures) was applied to 24 dogs presenting to a private veterinary hospital following trauma: 12 dogs that required transfusion of blood products and 12 age- and weight-matched controls that did not. Dogs that required transfusions demonstrated a significantly higher TASH score compared with dogs that did not (10.2 ± 2.0 vs 5.2 ± 1.1, respectively; P = 0.03). Univariate analyses of individual TASH score components demonstrated significant differences between animals that received a transfusion and those that did not in BE (median: -8.6 [range: -14.4 to 1.4] vs -4.5 [range: -15.4 to -0.4], respectively; P = 0.04) and positive abdominal fluid score (4/12 vs 0/12, respectively; P = 0.03). The Animal Trauma Triage scores (ATTSs) for dogs included in the study were also obtained from the Veterinary Committee on Trauma registry. The mean ATTS was significantly higher in dogs that received blood transfusions than those that did not (5.2 ± 0.78 vs 2.0 ± 0.5, respectively; P = 0.003).

Conclusions: The TASH score may be useful to predict transfusion needs in a larger population of traumatized canine patients.