associated with equine colic surgery. It is a major surgical procedure that carries inherent risks such as anaesthetic complications, postoperative infections, and failure of the surgical site to heal properly.
In addition, colic surgery is usually performed under emergency conditions, when the horse’s health is already compromised.
Even with successful surgery, horses with colic will likely require intensive care and monitoring in the postoperative period, which can be costly and time-consuming. It is important for horse owners to be aware of the risks associated with colic surgery and to have a frank discussion with their veterinarian about the potential outcomes and prognosis. Early intervention and prompt surgical treatment can improve the chances of a positive outcome, but it is not a guarantee of success.
To better assess the risk factors for colic surgery, researchers in Italy reviewed records of horses subjected to colic surgery in three referral centres between 2018 and 2021.
In a study published in the journal Animals, Alessandro Spadari and his colleagues from the Veterinary Teaching Hospitals at the Universities of Bologna, Perugia, and Turin, examined data from 451 horses that underwent colic surgery. The researchers found that the short-term survival rate for all horses who underwent surgery was 68.5%, and for those that recovered from both the surgery and anaesthesia, the survival rate was 80%.
The study also identified several potential risk factors that could affect the outcome of the surgery, including age, body condition score (BCS), packed cell volume (PCV), and total plasma protein (TPP) before and after surgery, amount of reflux, type of disease, type of lesion, duration of surgery, surgeon's experience, and the amount of intra- and postoperative fluids administered.
Through multivariate analysis, the researchers found that PCV at arrival, TPP after surgery, and BCS had the highest predictive power for short-term survival after colic surgery.
Horses with a body condition score (BCS) of less than 4 out of 9 were found to have a higher risk of a negative outcome in the study. Additionally, horses that arrived at the referral centre with a packed cell volume (PCV) greater than 50% and total plasma protein (TPP) levels below 5.7 or above 7.4 had a poorer prognosis than horses with other values.
The type of lesion also played a significant role in the outcome of the surgery, with horses diagnosed with large colon volvulus, pedunculated lipoma, and small intestinal volvulus having the worst prognosis.
The authors of the study suggest that their findings may aid surgeons in making informed decisions and communicating the risks to referring veterinarians and horse owners. They recommend conducting additional prospective studies to validate the impact of the predictive indices examined in this research on short-term survival.
For more details, see:
Short-Term Survival and Postoperative Complications Rates in Horses Undergoing Colic Surgery: A Multicentre Study.
Spadari, A.; Gialletti, R.; Gandini, M.; Valle, E.; Cerullo, A.; Cavallini, D.; Bertoletti, A.; Rinnovati, R.; Forni, G.; Scilimati, N.; Giusto, G.
Animals 2023, 13, 1107.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13061107
No comments:
Post a Comment