Anemia and Oxygen Delivery.

Clinical assessment of tissue oxygenation is challenging. Anemia reflects a decreased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood and its significance in the perioperative setting relates largely to the associated risk of insufficient oxygen delivery and cellular hypoxia. Until meaningful clinical measures of tissue oxygenation are available in veterinary practice, clinicians must rely on evaluation of a patient's hemodynamic and ventilatory performance, along with biochemical and hemogasometric measurements. Blood transfusion is used commonly for treatment of perioperative anemia, and may improve tissue oxygenation by normalizing the rheologic properties of blood and enhancing perfusion, independent of increases in oxygen carrying capacity.