What is the primary risk associated with cardiac puncture during blood collection?

Cardiac puncture, also known as cardiac blood collection, carries the significant risk of fatality in some animals. This procedure involves accessing the heart directly to obtain blood, and it is highly invasive. If not performed with the utmost care and precision, the likelihood of causing severe trauma to the heart increases, which can lead to immediate cardiac failure, excessive hemorrhage, or other critical complications that may result in the death of the animal.

While infection at the site is a potential concern with any invasive procedure, and insufficient blood volume can sometimes occur if the procedure is not managed properly, these risks generally do not pose as immediate or severe a threat as the possibility of fatality. Inability to anesthetize the animal could also be a concern, but in the context of blood collection, any failure to anesthetize would primarily relate to the animal's welfare rather than a direct risk inherent to the procedure itself. Therefore, the primary risk associated with cardiac puncture is indeed the potential for fatality, underscoring the importance of proper training and protocol adherence when performing such procedures.