Emergency care in horses involves the immediate assessment and treatment of acute medical conditions or injuries to stabilize the animal and prevent further harm. This area of veterinary practice encompasses a range of situations, including colic, traumatic injuries, respiratory distress, and sudden lameness. Emergency care procedures may involve physical examinations, diagnostic imaging, fluid therapy, pain management, and, in some cases, surgical intervention. This topic includes peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methods, protocols, and outcomes associated with emergency interventions in equine medicine.
Carotenuto SE, Broussard G, Fox GA, Hayes WK.To assess the efficacy of a new equine F[ab'] antivenom (US Department of Agriculture code 6101.05) in removing serum venom and lowering the snakebite severity score (SSS) in animals suffering from naturally occurring viperid envenomation. Methods: Retrospective study, April 2020 to October 2021. Methods: Veterinary hospitals across four North American regions. Methods: Twenty-two dogs, one cat, and one horse. Methods: All patients received the new antivenom intravenously and were assessed for clinical response. Most dogs required one vial for clinical control of signs. Results: Among the dogs...
Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC.IntroductionAmputations and avulsion injuries due to horse-associated activity are rare, yet they can result in significant impairment. The purpose of this study was to further investigate such injuries using a national emergency department database.MethodsThe US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was used to identify horse-associated amputation and avulsion injuries occurring between 2000-2023. Demographic data of age, sex, and injury details were collected.ResultsThere were 34,091 emergency department visits for equine-associated injuries, with 120 (0.35%) due to amputati...
Weixler VHM, Aldana-Aguirre J, Zaulan O, Chin V, Guerguerian AM, Mertens L, Honjo O.We present 2 cases of traumatic ventricular septal defects (VSDs), both caused by horse kick injuries. Given this rare but critical condition, we decided to share our experiences and the lessons learned managing these cases. Methods: The first patient, a 12-year-old girl, was trampled by a horse, sustained a traumatic apical ventricular septal defect with pseudoaneurysm, was stabilized first, and underwent surgical closure 19 days after the injury. The second patient, a 9-year-old girl, was kicked by a horse in the chest; developed profound cardiogenic shock; and was found to have multiple lar...
Haase L, Winter J, Grummt S, Sedlmayr M, Sedlmayr B.Many people seek health-related information online, not only for themselves but also on behalf of others who cannot articulate their symptoms. This proxy information-seeking behavior is particularly relevant for animal owners, who must interpret their animals' symptoms without direct verbal feedback. While online health information-seeking in the context of one's own health is well-studied, the specific challenges of searching by proxy, especially for animal health information, remain largely unexplored. Unassigned: This study aimed to determine the specific information needs and search behavi...
Maloney B, Jung MS, Kearns G, Bowe C.Equestrian-related activities inherently involve the risk of serious injury. There are few reports of maxillofacial injury patterns and management arising from equestrian activities in the literature. Objective: To investigate maxillofacial fracture presentations at a tertiary trauma centre to identify injury profiles of patients who have sustained equine-based injuries over 5 years. Methods: This work involved a retrospective review of all trauma presentations to our unit over 5 years. The data collected included patient demographics, injury mechanisms and patterns, and management of fractu...
Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC. Equestrian activities can result in spine injuries. Most studies are from single centers, and none use a national database. It was the purpose of this study to describe the demographics, injury mechanisms, and types of equestrian-associated spinal injuries using a US national ED database. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was queried for equestrian-related spine injuries from 2000-2023. ED disposition was categorized as discharged or not discharged. Statistical analyses accounted for the weighted, stratified nature of the data to obtain national estimates. There we...
Parra-Moyano LA, Cedeño A, Darby S, Johnson JP, Gomez DE.The effectiveness of the peritoneal fluid L-lactate-to-total solids ratio (PFL:PFTS) as a diagnostic marker for strangulating lesions of the small intestine (SI) and large colon (LC) has not been investigated. Objective: Describe and compare the PFL:PTFS and blood lactate (BL), peritoneal fluid lactate (PFL) and PFL:BL difference and PFL:BL ratio of horses with SI and LC strangulating (SO) and non-strangulating (NSO) obstructions and determine sensitivity and specificity to predict SO. Methods: A total of 282 horses, 117 with SI lesions (59 classified as SINSO and 58 as SISO), and 165 with LC ...
de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Binard M, Deleuze S, Ponthier J.Standing caesarian section (C-section) in mares is poorly documented in the literature. It is reportedly straightforward to perform for veterinarians experienced in bovine practice and is more accessible and less expensive than recumbent techniques. The study aimed to create a survey to report the outcomes of in field C-section through a flank laparotomy with the mare standing under sedation. Unassigned: A survey was developed for field veterinarians practicing standing C-sections. Data were collected regarding the veterinarian's experience and practice type, details about the mare and the rea...
Macleod BM, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM, Bishop RC.Viscoelastic coagulation testing (VCT) identifies subclinical disruption of coagulation homeostasis and may improve prognostication, particularly for patients with severe systemic inflammation or shock. Machine learning (ML) algorithms may capture complex relationships between clinical variables better than linear regression (GLM). Objective: To evaluate the utility of ML models incorporating VCT and clinical data to predict survival outcomes in horses with acute abdominal pain. Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study. Methods: VCT (VCM Vet™) was performed on 57 horses with acute a...
Swezey E, Szydziak E, Angus LDG, Mehta V, Cardozo-Stolberg S.Equestrian trauma is recognized as a high-risk injury mechanism with the potential for significant morbidity and mortality. Although horse-related injuries are more frequently seen in a rural environment, they can also occur in urban settings. Urban physicians should be mindful of these potential cases. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all patients treated at Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, New York, for equestrian-related trauma from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2024. Results: Twenty-nine equestrian trauma patients ages 10-70 were included, with injuries ob...
Tharwat M, Al-Sobayil F.Colic or acute abdominal pain is the most prevalent cause of emergency intervention in veterinary medicine, and it has been considered the principal reason for collapse and/or euthanasia in a wide range of studies. The condition may be initiated by a number of different disorders affecting the abdominal viscera, but acute gut disease is the most common etiology in equines showing colic symptoms. of the main goals of colic management is to distinguish between surgical and medical causes, as prompt surgical intervention can significantly improve outcomes for those requiring surgery. Despite the ...
van der Merwe LM, Schliewert EC.Colic is a common equine emergency requiring medical or surgical intervention. These interventions can be costly, making outcomes data and prognostic indicators essential for guiding referral and treatment decisions. Objective: To determine survival rates to hospital discharge and evaluate prognostic indicators in equine colic cases treated at a referral hospital (Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital [OVAH], South Africa). Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study analysed records from horses with colic that were presented to the OVAH from January 2019 to August 2021. Data i...
Román Durá B, Dunham O, Grulke S, Salciccia A, Dupont J, Sandersen C.Equine anesthesia is related to high morbidity and mortality rates and recent studies suggested that the period of recovery remains the phase associated with the greatest risk of mortality in horses. Intraoperative hypotension, hypoxemia, and hypercapnia are recognized as potential determinants of recovery quality. This study, conducted at the Equine University Hospital of Liege, aimed to explore how these factors influence recovery outcomes and compare complications between non-emergency and emergency procedures. We analyzed data from 1057 horses, with a mean weight of 498 kg (ranging from 15...
Munerato MS, Simon O, Nicholson A.This report describes successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a healthy, 525 kg, 8 years 9 months-old Quarter horse gelding. After successful pelvic limb orthopaedic surgery to excise a metatarsal bone under general anaesthesia, with the horse in left lateral recumbency, the horse was hoisted into recovery. After the horse was positioned in recovery, a routine cardiac check by thoracic auscultation was performed. Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) was identified by absence of cardiac sounds and pulse, as evaluated by digital palpation of the facial artery, absence of the right palpebral reflex, ...
Christie KD, Epstein KL, Tyma JF, Afonso T, Fultz LE, Giguère S.Surgical site infection (SSI) is an important complication following emergency celiotomy in the horse. Judicious antimicrobial use is important for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and the limitation of antimicrobial-associated complications. Previous studies in horses have found no association between SSI and perioperative antimicrobial duration, but the ideal duration of antimicrobial administration in horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy remains unclear. Objective: To compare SSI and describe post-operative complications, survival, duration and cost of hospitalisation in horses...
Palmisano MG, Colmer SF, Saw YL, Xu X, Stefanovski D, Murphy L, Johnson AL.To determine the prevalence of vitamin E deficiency in horses at admission and at the time of discharge. The hypothesis was that vitamin E concentrations would decrease during hospitalization. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed of client-owned horses admitted as patients or companions through the emergency service at a tertiary referral center. Exclusion criteria included vitamin E supplementation. Whole blood was collected into an additive-free tube at the time of admission for all horses and at discharge if the horse was hospitalized for a minimum of 5 days. Serum vitamin E co...
Valberg SJ.Horses are particularly susceptible to developing exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) characterized by muscle stiffness, pain, and reluctance to move. Diagnosis requires establishing abnormal increases in serum creatine kinase activity when horses exhibit clinical signs. The 2 main categories of ER include sporadic ER arising from extrinsic causes and chronic ER that arises from intrinsic continuous or episodic abnormalities in muscle function. This article focuses on treatment of acute ER and causes and management of sporadic ER. Differential diagnoses for chronic ER as well as the pathophysiology...
Cetintav B, Yalcin A.Colic is a leading cause of mortality in horses, demanding precise and timely interventions. This study integrates machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to predict survival outcomes in horses with colic, using clinical, procedural, and diagnostic data. Random forest and XGBoost emerged as top-performing models, achieving F1 scores of 85.9% and 86.1%, respectively. SHAP (Shapley additive explanations) was employed to provide interpretable insights, offering both global and local explanations for model predictions. The analysis revealed that key features, such as pulse r...
Haase L, Monett D, Sedlmayr M.Animal owners may increasingly rely on large language models for gathering animal health information alongside internet sources in the future. This study therefore aims to provide initial results on the accuracy of ChatGPT-4o in triage and tentative diagnostics, using horses as a case study. Ten test vignettes were used to prompt situation assessments from the tool, which were then compared to original assessments made by a veterinary specialist for horses. The most probable diagnosis suggested by ChatGPT-4o was found to be quite accurate in most cases, with the urgency to contact a veterinari...
Arroyo E, Whitelock LM, Stanton ME, Stevenson V, de Aguiar LH, Kelleman A.Hydropsical conditions in domestic animals are characterized by abnormal fluid accumulation. While their complete pathophysiology remains unclear, factors such as changes in chorioallantoic membranes, placentitis, or fetal abnormalities may contribute. Hydrops present as a medical emergency that can cause complications for the mare. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for the mare's prognosis, as fetal survival is often poor. This report describes a case of hydroallantois in a 9-year-old pregnant Quarter mare at 271 days of gestation, leading to dystocia of a non-viable foal with multipl...
Bayless RL, Cooper BL, Sheats MK.Colic is a common and potentially life-threatening condition in horses; in many cases, it remains challenging for clinicians to determine the cause, appropriate treatment, and prognosis. One approach that could improve patient care and outcomes is identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a biomarker that shows promise for characterizing disease severity and predicting survival in humans with acute abdominal pain or requiring emergency abdominal surgery. In horses, we recently determined that extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations are elevated...
Mickevičienė I, Mikalauskienė D, Miknienė Z.Colic, a primary cause of illness and death in horses, necessitates the development of improved prognostic tools. Unassigned: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of physiological and biochemical parameters in horses suffering from colic. Unassigned: A comprehensive clinical evaluation of 117 horses included assessment of heart rate, mucous membranes, capillary refill time, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, gut motility, reflux, and limb pulse strength. Unassigned: Stomach reflux, absence of gut noises, and increased heart rate (mean increase of 12 bpm) stro...
Elane GL, Blikslager AT, Mair TS.The COVID-19 pandemic represented a significant source of anxiety and stress for equine veterinarians and clients, with the potential for measurable effects on caseload and owner economics. Unassigned: To compare the number of horses presenting for emergency colic evaluation and treatment, as well as costs at two equine referral hospitals. Unassigned: Retrospective cohort. Unassigned: Medical records of horses admitted to North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic (BEVC) were compared. Total equine accessions, number of horses referred for colic, and patient age w...
Hobbs KJ, Le Sueur ANV, Hallowell K, Martin E, Sheats MK, Ueda Y.An 8-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding was treated with extracorporeal hemoperfusion (HP) therapy for treatment of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) colitis-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The gelding developed C. difficile associated peracute colitis and severe SIRS as evidenced by a positive fecal C. difficile PCR and tachypnea, tachycardia, fever, neutropenia, altered mucous membrane color, and hyperlactatemia. Concurrent acute kidney injury in the horse limited the use of routine anti-inflammatory and anti-lipopolysaccharide treatments, including flunixi...
Delvescovo B, McOnie R, Pearson G, Pugliese B, Hackett ES.Persistent hemorrhage of testicular vessels is a potentially life-threatening complication of equine castration. Frequently, general anesthesia is required to retrieve and ligate the bleeding vasculature when standing wound packing and retrieval of the spermatic cord are unsuccessful. We propose standing laparoscopic ligation of the testicular arteries via the paralumbar fossa as a rapid, effective means of halting hemorrhage while avoiding castration site trauma as well as the cardiovascular and recovery risks of general anesthesia. Methods: Two geldings, 6 and 9 months old, presented for eme...
Bernick A, Demattio LS, Wehrend A.Uroperitoneum is a typical disease of the newborn foal, which occurs rarely but regularly. Ultrasonography is considered the most important imaging method for diagnosing this disease. Thus far, only one older case series comprising 31 foals suffering from uroperitoneum has systematically listed results of ultrasound examinations. Objective: This paper presents the findings of an ultrasonographic examination of 34 foals with uroperitoneum in order to inform future interpretation of ultrasonographic data in suspected uroperitoneum cases. Methods: Ultrasonographic data of 34 neonatal foals up to ...
Lindinger H, Wehrend A.In horses, parturition is characterized by the fact that any delays may rapidly result in the death of the foal. Therefore, birth monitoring and the rapid detection of dystocia are of great importance. For this purpose, the differentiation between behavior associated with physiological parturition and activities related to difficult parturition is important. The aim of this publication is to present the physiological behavior of mares during parturition on the basis of a literature review. The behavior of mares in the opening phase of parturition is highly individual. In general, it is charact...
Burrell KL, Burford JH, England GCW, Freeman SL.The survival of horses diagnosed with critical colic (requiring referral or euthanasia) relies on rapid and effective decision-making by the owner and veterinary practitioner. Objective: To explore UK horse owners' and veterinary practitioners' experiences of decision-making for critical cases of equine colic. Methods: Qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Methods: Individual, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14 horse owners and 13 veterinary practitioners (vets) who had experienced a critical decision (referral or euthanasia) for a horse with colic. A pu...
Brumund L, Wittenberg-Voges L, Rohn K, Kästner SBR.An accurate risk score that can predict peri-anesthetic morbidity and mortality in equine patients could improve peri-operative management, outcome and client communication. Unassigned: Three hunded horses underwent pre-anesthetic risk assessment using the American Society of Anesthesiologists-Physical Status augmented with equine-specific diseases (ASA-PS-Equine), a multifactorial 10-part rubric risk scale (10-RS), and a combination of both, the Combined horse anesthetic risk identification and optimization tool (CHARIOT). Intra-and post-anesthetic complications, the recovery phase and mortal...
Johnston GM, Eastment JK, Wood J, Taylor PM.To document the equine perioperative mortality rate and to highlight any factor associated with an increased risk of death up to 7 days after anaesthesia. Methods: A prospective observational epidemiological multicentre study. Methods: Data were recorded from all equidae undergoing general anaesthesia in 62 clinics. Power calculations indicated that 45 000 cases were required to detect the significance of important variables. Details of each horse, operation, anaesthetic agents and clinic personnel were recorded. Outcome at 7 days was recorded as: alive, put to sleep (PTS) or dead. Data were a...
Feary DJ, Hassel DM.Enteritis and colitis remain challenging and life-threatening diseases despite many recent advances. Successful treatment is largely dependent on early recognition and directed therapy, which is facilitated by obtaining a complete history and physical examination. A number of new therapies and methods of monitoring critically ill patients have become integral components of treatment success. The critical monitoring of equine foals and adults continues to be an exciting and emerging field.
Ball CG, Ball JE, Kirkpatrick AW, Mulloy RH.Horseback riding is more dangerous than motorcycle riding, skiing, football, and rugby. The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence and injury patterns, as well as risk factors associated with severe equestrian trauma. Methods: All patients with major equestrian injuries (injury severity score > or = 12) admitted between 1995 and 2005 were reviewed. A 46-question survey outlining potential rider, animal, and environmental risk factors was administered. Results: Among 7941 trauma patients, 151 (2%) were injured on horseback (mean injury severity score, 20; mortality rate, 7%). In...
Roy MF, Kwong GP, Lambert J, Massie S, Lockhart S.Despite its widespread use in equine medicine, the clinical value of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) concept in horses remains unknown. Objective: To study the prognostic value of measures of SIRS in horses and identify the best model of severe SIRS to predict outcome. Methods: A total of 479 consecutive adult horse emergency admissions to a private primary referral practice. Methods: Prospective observational study. All adult horses admitted for emergency treatment over the study period were included. Multivariate logistic regression and stepwise model selection were used. ...
Thomas KE, Annest JL, Gilchrist J, Bixby-Hammett DM.To characterise and provide nationally representative estimates of persons with non-fatal horse related injuries treated in American emergency departments. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) is a stratified probability sample comprising 66 hospitals. Data on injuries treated in these emergency departments are collected and reported. NEISS-AIP data on all types (horseback riding and otherwise) of non-fatal horse related injuries from 2001 to 2003 were analysed. Results: An estimated 102,904 persons with non-fatal horse related injuries (35...
Laurenza C, Ansart L, Portier K.A retrospective analysis was performed to determine mortality and morbidity rates for elective and emergency cases in an equine university teaching hospital. It investigated the effect of horse-, anesthetic-, timing, and clinician experience-related variables on anesthetic complications. In total, 1,161 horses undergoing general anesthesia between January 2012 and December 2016 were included in the study. Patient information and details of the anesthetic, recovery period and immediate complications were retrieved from an archival database. Statistical analysis of qualitative and quantitative f...
Bidwell LA, Bramlage LR, Rood WA.To determine the fatality rate of horses undergoing general anaesthesia at a private equine referral practice using a limited number of anaesthetic protocols. Methods: A retrospective analysis of records (n = 17 961) from all horses undergoing general anaesthesia for surgical procedures from 1997 to 2001 at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Results were reported as percentage of the population, and as crude mortality rates for each procedure (deaths per 1000). Results: The prevalence of equine fatalities directly related to anaesthesia was 0.12% (n = 21) and this rose ...
The Journal of traumaApril 7, 2007
Volume 62, Issue 3 735-739 doi: 10.1097/ta.0b013e318031b5d4
Mayberry JC, Pearson TE, Wiger KJ, Diggs BS, Mullins RJ.Equestrian injury is commonly seen at trauma centers and the severity of injury is often high. We sought to determine the risk, incidence, and the influence of skill and experience on injury during horse-related activity (HRA). Methods: Members of horse clubs and individual equestrians in a three-state region (Oregon, Washington, and Idaho) were recruited via mailings and community advertisements to take a survey regarding their horse contact time and injuries over their entire riding career. Serious injury (SI) was defined by hospitalization, surgery, or long-term disability. Results: There w...
Carmichael SP, Davenport DL, Kearney PA, Bernard AC.The purpose of this study is to determine whether discrepant patterns of horse-related trauma exist in mounted vs. unmounted equestrians from a single Level I trauma center to guide awareness of injury prevention. Methods: Retrospective data were collected from the University of Kentucky Trauma Registry for patients admitted with horse-related injuries between January 2003 and December 2007 (n=284). Injuries incurred while mounted were compared with those incurred while unmounted. Results: Of 284 patients, 145 (51%) subjects were male with an average age of 37.2 years (S.D. 17.2). Most injurie...
Curtis L, Burford JH, England GCW, Freeman SL.Acute abdominal pain (colic) is the most common reason for emergency veterinary treatment in the horse. Consolidation of data through a systematic review is important to inform evidence-based medicine and clinical guidelines, but there are currently no published systematic reviews on colic in the horse. The aim of this study was to identify, categorize and appraise the evidence on factors associated with increased risk of developing abdominal pain (colic) due to gastrointestinal disease in the adult horse. A scoping review was performed to identify and categorize evidence on all risk factors f...
Rivara FP.Examine the current magnitude of the injury problem to children and adolescents on farms, and to compare these data to that from 1978-83. Methods: US National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Multiple Cause of Death Tapes for the years 1991-3, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for data on emergency department visits for 1990-3. Methods: Children and adolescents 19 years and younger injured on farms. Results: There were an average of 104 deaths per year due to injuries occurring on farms. The rate of 8.0 deaths per 100,000 child f...
Wagner AE.General anesthesia of horses entails considerable risk of morbidity and mortality. A large-scale, multicenter study reported that the death rate from non-colic-related anesthetics was 0.9%, while the perianesthetic mortality rate at a single, busy equine surgical practice was somewhat more favorable, at 0.12%. While any perianesthetic death is devastating, mortality figures alone do not reflect the overall morbidity of equine anesthesia in terms of nonterminal events or injuries related to recovery. In some circumstances, recognition of perianesthetic complications may allow appropriate interv...
The Journal of traumaApril 26, 2000
Volume 48, Issue 4 740-744 doi: 10.1097/00005373-200004000-00025
Norwood S, McAuley C, Vallina VL, Fernandez LG, McLarty JW, Goodfried G.Injuries from encounters with large animals represent a significant health risk for rural communities. We evaluated our regional trauma centers' experience with large-animal injuries to determine whether certain mechanisms and patterns of injury predicted either major head/craniofacial or torso (chest/abdomen/pelvis) trauma. Methods: The hospital courses of 145 patients with injuries related to large animals were reviewed retrospectively to determine patterns of injury, specific injury mechanisms, species-specific injuries, and predictors of multiple body region trauma. Results: Seventy-nine p...
Abu-Zidan FM, Rao S.Horse riding and handling are uniquely dangerous. Knowledge of the risk factors of horse-related injuries is essential to prevent them. We aimed to define the factors that affect the severity of horse-related injuries and the length of hospital stay. A number of 231 patients (136 females and 95 males) with horse-related injuries were studied. A generalized linear model was used to test the effect of age, sex, cause of injury, complexity of the mechanism of injury, year, place of injury and profession of the injured, on the injury severity score (ISS) and the hospital stay. Fall from a horse wa...
Moss PS, Wan A, Whitlock MR.To describe the demographics and nature of injuries occurring on or around horses, to examine the nature of protective clothing in relation to these injuries, and to compare our data with previously published work in this area. Methods: Patients were identified using the term "sports injury-horse riding" from the departmental database for one calendar year from February 2000. Data were collected regarding demographics, injuries, protective clothing, and outcome. The data were then analysed and compared with the previously published literature. Results: 260 patients' records were analysed. The ...
Richardson JS, Parrera GS, Astacio H, Sahota H, Anderson DM, Hall C, Babinchak T.Botulism is a rare, life-threatening paralytic illness. Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A,B,C,D,E,F,G)-(Equine) (BAT) manufactured by Emergent BioSolutions Canada Inc is an equine-derived heptavalent botulinum antitoxin product indicated for the treatment of symptomatic botulism following documented or suspected exposure to botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A-G in adults and pediatric patients. BAT product was US-licensed in 2013. In the United States, from October 2014 through July 2017, safety and clinical outcomes data were collected under a registry for patients treated with BAT product. Regi...
Guyton K, Houchen-Wise E, Peck E, Mayberry J.Horse-related injury can be severe and disabling. We investigated the causes, severity, and costs of equestrian injury with the goal of injury prevention. A retrospective review of horse-related injuries from 2001 to 2008 identified 231 patients with a mean age of 38 years and a mean Injury Severity Score of 11 (range, 1 to 45). Mean length of stay was 5.5 days. Fifty-nine patients (25%) required 84 surgeries. Helmet use was 20 per cent and of the 172 patients not wearing a helmet while mounted, 38 per cent received potentially preventable head injuries. There were three deaths of which two we...
Lloyd RG.All horse-related injuries presenting to an Accident Service over a two-year period were investigated. 237 patients presented. The injuries were not considerable in absolute number but were in severity. There was a high morbidity with 22% of all patients requiring admission to hospital, 50% of all admissions because of head injuries. At least seven life-threatening injuries were identified and there were other severe pelvic and spinal injuries. The wearing of protective head gear remains the most important safety measure.
British medical journalSeptember 8, 1973
Volume 3, Issue 5879 532-534 doi: 10.1136/bmj.3.5879.532
Barber HM.Horse-riding is increasing in popularity. During 1971 and 1972 154 patients had horse-related injuries of sufficient severity to warrant admission to the Radcliffe Infirmary. The injuries sustained are more common and more severe than generally appreciated and are comparable to those sustained by motor-cyclists. Supervision of children is often insufficient and protective leg and head gear is commonly quite inadequate, even when worn.
Cohen ND, Gibbs PG, Woods AM.To determine whether dietary and other management factors were associated with development of colic in horses. Methods: Prospective matched case-control study. Methods: 2,060 horses examined by veterinarians in private practice in Texas for colic and noncolic emergencies. Methods: Each month for 12 months, participating veterinarians were sent forms to collect information on 1 horse with colic and 1 horse that received emergency treatment for a condition other than colic, information collected included signalment, farm management and characteristics, diet, medical and preventive medical factor...
Jagodzinski T, DeMuri GP.Horseback riding is an increasingly popular activity among today's youth, providing them with the opportunity to learn responsibility and respect for animals. However, it can also be associated with severe injury, of which many physicians are unaware. In 2002, there were an estimated 13,400 emergency department visits nationwide for horse-related injuries among children younger than 15 years. When using a severity score to compare it with other childhood injuries, equestrian-related injury ranked second only to pedestrians being struck by a car, and had a higher score than all terrain vehicle,...
Furr MO, Lessard P, White NA.Thirty-two physical examination and laboratory variables were recorded during examination of 165 horses admitted for acute abdominal disease. Univariate analyses were performed to determine which of the variables were significantly different between horses that lived or died. Stepwise logistic regression was performed to identify variables with the best predictive value. Four variables (heart rate, peritoneal fluid total protein concentration, blood lactate concentration, and abnormal mucous membrane) remained significant when entered into the model. Histograms for each significant variable we...
Buckley SM, Chalmers DJ, Langley JD.This study describes the epidemiology of injuries due to falls from horses in New Zealand. There were 54 fatalities from 1977 to 1986 (0.17 per 100,000 persons per year). There were 773 hospitalisations in 1987 (23.7 per 100,000 persons per year). Head injuries were predominant among both fatal and nonfatal injuries. The incidence of nonfatal head injury in the 10 to 19 age group was significantly higher than the incidence in all older groups (P = 0.003). Young people, particularly females, were the segment of the population most affected by the problem of falls from horses. Reference to data ...
Tennent-Brown BS, Wilkins PA, Lindborg S, Russell G, Boston RC.Sequential lactate concentration ([LAC]) measurements have prognostic value in that hospitalized humans and neonatal foals that have a delayed return to normolactatemia have greater morbidity and case fatality rate. Objective: Prognosis for survival is decreased in horses with a delayed return to normal [LAC]. Methods: Two hundred and fifty adult horses presented for emergency evaluation excepting horses evaluated because of only ophthalmologic conditions, superficial wounds, and septic synovitis without systemic involvement. Methods: Prospective observational study. [LAC] was measured at admi...
Curtis L, Burford JH, Thomas JS, Curran ML, Bayes TC, England GC, Freeman SL.The majority of research on the evaluation of horses with colic is focused on referral hospital populations. Early identification of critical cases is important to optimise outcome and welfare. The aim of this prospective study was to survey the primary evaluation of horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain by veterinary practitioners, and compare the initial presentation of critical and non-critical cases. Results: Data from 1016 primary evaluations of horses presenting with clinical signs of colic were submitted by 167 veterinary practitioners across the United Kingdom over a 13 month p...
de Loës M.A prospective study of acute injuries from sports and physical exercise was carried out during 1 year in a total population of a municipality with 31,620 inhabitants. The medical treatment and the services required for the injuries have been calculated and related to the total consumption of medical care in the municipality. A total of 571 injuries (17% of all injuries) occurred in 28 different sports: 65% of the injured were males. Sports injuries accounted for 3% of all acute visits and there were altogether 1,083 outpatient visits, which yields a mean of 1.9 visits per injury. Related to th...
Waller AE, Daniels JL, Weaver NL, Robinson P.In the sport of horse racing, the position of the jockey and speed of the horse predispose the jockey to risk of injury. Objective: To estimate rates of medically treated injuries among professional jockeys and identify patterns of injury events. Methods: Cross-sectional survey from data compiled by an insurance broker. Information on the cause of injury, location on the track, and body part injured was evaluated. Methods: Official races at US professional racing facilities (n = 114) from January 1, 1993, through December 31, 1996. Methods: A licensed jockey population of approximately 2700 pe...
Hoffman AM, Staempfli HR, Willan A.The costly nature of intensive care for neonatal foals prompted a study of predictive variables for survival in a referral hospital. Applying stepforward logistic regression to parameters that differed significantly (P less than 0.10) between survivors (S) and nonsurvivors (NS) in a retrospective study (n = 56), two variables retained statistical significance [anion gap (AG, P = 0.0047) and venous PO2 (PvO2, P = 0.0342)], thus forming the basis for a predictive equation for survival: the Pn (probability of NS) = eA/(1 + eA) where A = -1.46 - 0.107 (PvO2) + 0.213 (AG). The predictive equation w...
Smyth GB, Dagley K, Tainsh J.We estimate and describe the financial costs of the equine influenza (EI) outbreak in Australia, including the costs of emergency response measures and lost income/assets to businesses, associations and private horse owners. Costs to associations, governments and industry are discussed. We identify a lack of reliable data about the financial costs of the EI outbreak to the non-racing sectors of the horse industry.
Bond GR, Christoph RA, Rodgers BM.To assess the impact of helmet use on the pattern, and severity of pediatric equestrian injuries. Methods: A prospective observational study of all children less than 15 years of age who were brought to the University of Virginia children's Emergency Department with horse-related injuries. Results: During the two-year period of the study, 32 children were evaluated. Two children were injured when a horse stepped on them. Thirty children fell from or were thrown from a horse. Of these, 20 were wearing a helmet. Head injuries were more frequent in those patients not wearing helmets. The mean Mod...
