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.
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...
Ross DE, Ghodasara SK, Roskam JS, Gaccione AG, DiFazio LT, Bilaniuk JW, Nemeth ZH.Motorcycle and equestrian accidents can share similar trauma mechanisms and can result in serious injuries. Objective: This study aims to analyze variations in injuries and safety standards through types, severity, and outcomes of traumatic injuries in both motorcycle and equestrian riders. Methods: Using the 2020 ACS TQIP database, we split patients into two groups based on their primary injury. We chose codes V28 and V80.0 to identify non-collision fall or throw injuries for motorcycle and equestrian accidents respectively. A total of 17,730 motorcycle and 5,461 equestrian patients were iden...
Whitaker K, Burnette A, Tan JY, Graves M, Hunt J, Devine E, Anderson S, Kirkendall K, Wisnieski L.There is a shortage of equine veterinarians. Understanding what factors are associated with job satisfaction in equine veterinarians can inform interventions to increase retention in equine medicine. Objective: To explore the prominent factors causing work dissatisfaction and burnout in equine veterinarians. Methods: Qualitative research study consisting of semi-structured focus groups. Methods: Thirty-seven current and former equine veterinarians across the United States were recruited via snowball and convenience sampling to answer questions on work history, work-life balance, and perception...
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...
Gould S, Roy IR, Gabriel FD, Lowe R, Lin CY.Equestrian sports are associated with high rates of major injury compared to collision and powered two-wheel sports. Advancements in rider and horse safety equipment and the implementation of comprehensive emergency action planning standards may help mitigate injuries, particularly in regard to the Olympic disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and three-day eventing covered in this review. Personal safety equipment to consider includes helmets, safety and air vests, and horse tack including safety stirrups, acoustic dampeners, and breakaway reins. Equestrian event medical coverage requires em...
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...
Neville EK, Neville CC, Hicks H.The size, strength, and unpredictability of horses, makes any interaction a potential situation for minor to severe injury. Despite this, horses continue to be popular for work and recreational activities. There have been five recent Australian publications that have examined various aspects of horse-related trauma, but none have been conducted in regional New South Wales (NSW). This study aims to report on the pattern of horse-related trauma that met the Institute of Trauma Injury Management's (ITIM) Trauma Registry criteria for people who presented to the emergency department at a regional N...
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...
Costa Kamura BD, Albertino LG, Cavallari RR, Queiroz de Souza L, Rodrigues LT, Barros de Sousa Pereira I, Rocha NS, Takahira RK, Briscola Pereira WA....Africanized crossbred bees (Apis mellifera) originated in Brazil in 1957, and since then, the number of accidents involving humans and animals has significantly increased. Although they are considered clinical emergencies, there are few reports describing the clinical and pathological aspects of bee envenomation in horses. In this context, this report aims to describe the clinical and pathological features of bee toxicity after massive bee envenomation in three horses. The horses were referred to the veterinary hospital the day following the attack, and after clinical and laboratory examinatio...
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...
Egenvall A, Höglund OV, Hoffman R, Valle PS, Andersen PH, Lönnell C, Byström A, Bonnett BN.In recent years, prices for veterinary care have received considerable attention in mainstream media, yet scientific literature has not delved into actual figures. This study aims to elucidate veterinary care costs for dogs, cats, and horses across five countries [Sweden (SE), Norway (NO), Denmark (DK), United Kingdom (UK), and Ireland (IR, with limited data)] through web searches. Unassigned: Utilising online business directories, we located URLs featuring veterinary care prices in autumn 2022, and repeated tri-monthly five times. Vetpris.se (VP), a price comparison site for SE, NO, and DK, e...
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 ...
Leppänen V, Mykkänen A.Vipera berus berus is the only venomous snake present in the Nordic countries and cases of envenomation in horses are reported during the warmer months. Little is known about the presentation, treatment and survival of horses with common European adder envenomation. Clinical and laboratory findings, treatment and outcome are reported for 28 horses admitted to Helsinki University Equine Hospital in 2008-2023 due to suspicion of snake bite. Eleven of these horses received antivenom treatment. Other common treatments included non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (22/28), antimicrobials (19/28), intr...
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...
Boiron A, Barazer C, Clement C, Sahli Vivicorsi S, Bellamy L, Le Toux G, Boisramé S.Horse riding is a popular yet dangerous sport, often resulting in facial traumas due to unpredictable horse reactions or falls. This retrospective study examines 20 patients. The aim of the study is to analyze maxillofacial traumas of equine origin and discuss prevention strategies. Conducted from 2004 to 2021 at our university hospital's emergency department in France, inclusion criteria encompassed patients with maxillofacial trauma admitted to the emergency department and referred to ENT and/or dentistry post-horse-related accidents. Patients were identified from the Health Data warehouse. ...
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...
Straticò P, Guerri G, Bandera L, Celani G, Di Nunzio L, Petrizzi L, Varasano V.(1) The main goals of general anesthesia include pain management and a safe anesthetic protocol for smooth recovery. In this retrospective study, we compared two anesthetic protocols for general anesthesia with isoflurane during emergency laparotomy: sedation with xylazine and the intraoperative infusion of lidocaine (X group) versus medetomidine as a preoperative sedation and intraoperative infusion (M group). (2) The medical records of horses who underwent emergency laparotomies between 2016 and 2023 were reviewed. According to the anesthetic protocol, patients were allocated to the X or M g...
Morris J, Hoang D.This article discusses a rare case of isolated xylazine overdose in a human, treated successfully with naloxone. Xylazine, typically used as a veterinary tranquilizer, acts as a potent α2 adrenergic agonist, leading to sedation, muscle relaxation, and potential respiratory depression. In this case, a female mistakenly injected herself with xylazine mistaking it for a different medication. The report discusses naloxone's role beyond opioid overdose, especially regarding substances causing central nervous system (CNS) depression via mechanisms similar to those of opioids. While naloxone is trad...
Avila-Sanchez P, Pliego-Zermeño JA, Barron-Cervantes NM, Chan C.Pancreatic trauma is one of the least observed diagnoses in the emergency room, much less in pediatric emergencies. Any cause of direct abdominal blunt trauma can cause it. With only a few cases presented in the literature, horse accidents have been associated with this complication, but it has been never seen in literature as a case where the horse-riding saddle is the one causing the pancreatic trauma, until now. Emphasizing the importance of an early diagnosis is the key point, but more importantly, to highlight that the correct diagnostic approach will grant the opportunity for a lesion in...
Morris RE, Doherty S, Oltmanns MH, Sapp MR, Wells K, Patel HR.To present a rarely reported systemic infection with (), transmitted from a horse, and to describe successful treatment when complicated by endogenous endophthalmitis. Unassigned: We diagnosed suspected septicemia presenting as loss of vision in the right eye of an otherwise healthy polo player/horse trainer. He received immediate intravenous antibiotics and three vitrectomies with two intravitreal antibiotic injections during the first week, to cure infection and subsequent retinal detachment. Blood and initial vitreous cultures rapidly grew The septicemia was quickly controlled by systemi...
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.
Paillot R, El-Hage CM.In 2007, Australia experienced the most extensive equine influenza outbreak observed in recent years. Extraordinary measures were rapidly implemented in order to control and prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease. The control strategy involved stringent movement restriction and disease surveillance, seconded by emergency post-outbreak vaccination strategies. Sixteen months after the first case and 12 months following the last reported case, Australia regained its equine influenza-free OIE status. This systematic review reports and summarises information relating to the implementa...
Bixby-Hammett D, Brooks WH.The most common location of horse-related injuries is the upper extremity (24% to 61%) with injuries to the lower extremity second in frequency (36% to 40%). The head and face sustain 20% of horse-related injuries. The most common type of injury is a soft tissue injury (92% to 1%), followed by a fracture (57% to 3%). Concussion is the third most common type of injury (63% to 2%). The most frequent cause of hospitalisation is concussion (38% to 4%) with fracture second. The most common injury which leaves residual impairment is injury to the central nervous system. The age at which most injury ...
The Journal of traumaJuly 1, 1997
Volume 43, Issue 1 97-99 doi: 10.1097/00005373-199707000-00022
Kriss TC, Kriss VM.Thirty million Americans ride horses; 50,000 of these riders are treated in emergency rooms annually. Equestrian activities are uniquely dangerous because the participant is unrestrained, often helmetless, and riding large, unpredictable animals capable of 40-mph speeds and kicking with up to 1 ton of force. Neurologic injuries in equestrians constitute the majority of severe injuries and fatalities. We prospectively studied all patients admitted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center with equine-related neurosurgical trauma from July 1992 to January 1996. Eighteen of 30 patients were ma...
Lucas M, Day L, Shirangi A, Fritschi L.A high injury prevalence has been reported among veterinarians. Studies describing the factors associated with injury have been limited. Objective: To describe the characteristics of serious injuries and the use of safety precautions at the time of injury in Australian veterinarians. Methods: Graduates in veterinary medicine from Australian universities completed questionnaires asking about injuries during their professional career including type of injury and circumstances during which injury occurred. Results: A total of 2188 significant injuries were reported. Injuries were most frequently ...
Busoni V, De Busscher V, Lopez D, Verwilghen D, Cassart D.The aim of this prospective study was to establish a protocol for fast localised abdominal sonography of horses (FLASH) admitted for colic. The FLASH protocol was then presented to clinicians without extensive ultrasound (US) experience to determine whether they could learn to use it in less than 15 min. The clinical subjects comprised 36 horses that had been referred for colic over a 2 month period. Each horse was examined at admission and FLASH findings at seven topographical locations were compared to serial clinical examinations, surgical and non-surgical outcomes, or with post-mortem repo...
The Journal of traumaJanuary 1, 1989
Volume 29, Issue 1 25-30 doi: 10.1097/00005373-198901000-00005
Ingemarson H, Grevsten S, Thorén L.Riding accidents can be of a serious nature. Knowledge of risk factors is of essential value in the prevention of injuries. From the years 1969 through 1982 a series of 53 lethal riding injuries is analysed with reference to the rider, the horse, and the environment. Craniocerebral injuries dominate in this series, indicating the importance of adequately protecting helmets. Among the victims the female sex is dominating before the age of 25 and the males above this age. Older horses are less frequently involved in these accidents than younger ones. A long training period for riders under surve...
To assess injury patterns attributable to horse kicks, to raise the issue of preventive measures, and to evaluate the role of modern accident and emergency department computer software. Methods: Data analysis using a new kind of full electronic medical record. Results: Seventeen kicked equestrians were unmounted at the time of injury. Eight of seventeen patients sustained contusions of the extremities, the back, and the trunk. In nine patients an isolated facial injury was diagnosed. Five of nine patients needed referrals to the department of plastic surgery because of the complexity of the fa...
Calvo-Pinilla E, de la Poza F, Gubbins S, Mertens PP, Ortego J, Castillo-Olivares J.Previous studies show that a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus expressing VP2 of AHSV serotype 4 (MVA-VP2) induced virus neutralising antibodies in horses and protected interferon alpha receptor gene knock-out mice (IFNAR -/-) against challenge. Follow up experiments indicated that passive transfer of antiserum, from MVA-VP2 immune donors to recipient mice 1h before challenge, conferred complete clinical protection and significantly reduced viraemia. These studies have been extended to determine the protective effect of MVA-VP2 vaccine-induced antiserum, when administered 48h be...
Freeman DE.Colic surgery is one of few treatments in which a veterinarian can use a skill to save an animal's life from a deadly disease within a short timeframe. Unfortunately, such success is not achieved without considerable risk for surgical failure, which is responsible for most complications in the immediate post-operative period. The last 50 years have witnessed considerable improvements in colic surgery, although a ranking of the most important ones might not meet with universal agreement. Teamwork plays a critical role in the final outcome, starting and finishing with the referring veterinarian...
Paix BR.Horse riding is a hazardous pastime, with a number of studies documenting high rates of injury and death among horse riders in general. This study focuses on the injury experience of cross country event riders, a high risk subset of horse riders. Methods: Injury data were collected at a series of 35 equestrian events in South Australia from 1990 to 1998. Results: Injury rates were found to be especially high among event riders, with frequent falls, injuries, and even deaths. The highest injury rates were among the riders competing at the highest levels. Conclusions: There is a need for skilled...
Whitlock MR, Whitlock J, Johnston B.A retrospective study of horse riding injuries in Berkshire was undertaken over a one year period from November 1983. The information was obtained from the Ambulance Service, the Jockey Club and the St. John Ambulance Brigade. There was a total of 103 injured persons with no deaths. Information from the Jockey Club was compared with the other two groups, the former sustaining more limb injuries and the latter more head injuries. A questionnaire was sent to all 42 ambulance patients. Thirty-eight had radiographs taken, 16 of which showed a fracture. Forty-one were wearing some form of hard hat,...
Johnston GM, Taylor PM, Holmes MA, Wood JL.The Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities (CEPEF-1) is an observational multi-institutional prospective study of recovery outcome at 7 days post operatively, as called for by Steffey (1991). Data from 6,255 general anaesthetics (February 91-March 93) were submitted confidentially by 62 clinics. The outcomes of 333 cases which were subjected to euthanasia and which were not classified 'alive' or 'died' at 7 days, were excluded from the analysis. The remaining 5922 cases were analysed to identify risk ratios (RR) between survivors and nonsurvivors for a variety of factors. Th...
McCrory P, Turner M.This chapter reviews the current evidence for the epidemiology of pediatric equestrian injuries. Methods: The relevant literature was searched through the use of MEDLINE (1966-2004) and SPORT DISCUS (1975-2004) searches, hand searches of journals and reference lists and discussions with experts and sporting organizations worldwide. Keywords and Mesh headings used in all searches included horse racing, children, pediatric injuries, sports injuries, equestrian injuries and sports trauma. Results: Limited data exist on the epidemiology of pediatric equestrian injuries. Most studies note the high ...
Fortina M, Maniscalco P, Carulli C, Meccariello L, Colasanti GB, Carta S.Horse racing is a hazardous sport. We analyzed the incidence and characteristics of jockey injuries in a typical horse race. Methods: We analyzed all injuries sustained by 224 jockeys in the last 72 years. Results: It was found that in 96.1% of the races there was at least one fall and in 28.6% of the races 50% or more of the jockeys fell. In 43.4% of the falls, the jockey was taken to the emergency room. Comparing the Palio with traditional races in other countries, a higher injury incidence rate was observed for every 100 falls (109.884 vs 27-59) and a lower concussion rate/100 falls (0.97 v...
Eckert V, Lockemann U, Püschel K, Meenen NM, Hessler C.To analyze horse-related accidents caused by hoof kicks. Methods: Prospective study to evaluate hoof kick-related accidents. Methods: Multicenter study, including 9 trauma centers in Hamburg, Germany. Methods: Patients who were treated as the result of a hoof kick between January 1, 2010, and May 1, 2010, were included in the study. Methods: Horse and rider qualifications, riders' use of protective equipment, location and activity at time of accident, mechanism of injury, injuries sustained, and treatment required for these injuries. Results: Twenty-four equestrians received hoof kicks. The av...
Shirazi-Beechey SP.Equine colic, a disorder manifested in abdominal pain, is the most frequent cause of emergency treatment and death in horses. Colic often requires intestinal surgery, subsequent hospitalisation and post operative care, with a strong risk of complications arising from surgery. Therefore strategies that explore approaches for preventing the condition are essential. To this end, a better understanding of the factors and mechanisms that lead to the development of colic and related intestinal diseases in the horse allows the design of preventive procedures. Colic is a multifactorial disorder that a...
Koenig J, Cote N.Colic is a common problem encountered in equine practice. Alteration of gastrointestinal motility is often the underlying cause for abdominal pain. Gastrointestinal motility can be measured as myoelectric activity, mechanical activity, and transit of intraluminal contents. Regulation of motility is based on a complex interaction between central innervation, autonomic innervation, and the enteric nervous system. Various humoral and neurochemical substances are required to interact flawlessly to allow propulsive motility. Ileus is defined as the absence of propulsive aboral movement of gastroint...
Newton AM, Nielsen AM.The literature contains many studies on the types of injuries sustained in horseback riding incidents. Most advocate the use of equestrian helmets to prevent head trauma. However, information is limited on other specific prevention strategies. Methods: A 4-year, retrospective, and prospective review of medical records pertaining to horse-related injuries in a southwestern Colorado hospital yielded a sample of 85 patients who had been injured while riding or tending to horses. In addition to the record review, patients were interviewed during ED discharge, inpatient treatment, or in a follow-up...
Gierup J, Larsson M, Lennquist S.A prospective one-year study of horse-riding accidents was performed in an area with a very high frequency of amateur riding. Totally 174 patients with riding injuries were registered--66% children--making an incidence of only 0.7 per thousand riding occasions. However, many of these injuries were of a severe nature, one leading to death and 27 of the patients reporting persisting symptoms at follow-up one year after the accident. Eleven per cent of the accidents lead to cerebral injuries and 44% to fractures, mainly of the upper extremities. Eleven per cent required hospitalization and 17% op...
Lambert JL, Fernandez NJ, Roy MF.Band cells and toxic neutrophils are thought to indicate acute and severe systemic illness but no studies have investigated their importance in adult equine emergency admissions. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of band cells and toxic neutrophils with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and outcome in horses. Methods: One hundred and five adult horses admitted on emergency basis to a private primary referral practice. Methods: Prospective observational study with sample collection. All horses admitted on emergency basis over the study period we...
Radcliffe RM, Divers TJ, Fletcher DJ, Mohammed H, Kraus MS.To evaluate changes in plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and L-lactate (LLt) as prognostic indicators in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: Veterinary teaching hospital. Methods: Thirty-four horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Methods: Serial blood sampling during various times during hospitalization (hospital admission, and 12, 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively) evaluating cTnI and LLt concentrations. Results: All horses required surgery for correction of a strangulating (n = 29) or nonstrangulating obstruction (n = 5) of...
Acton AS, Gaw CE, Chounthirath T, Smith GA.Horse-related injuries can cause severe morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to investigate the epidemiological features of horse-related injuries treated in emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. A retrospective analysis of horse-related injuries from 1990 through 2017 was conducted utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Cases were identified using the NEISS code 1239 (Horseback Riding: Activity, Apparel, or Equipment). Analyses performed included calculation of national injury estimates, relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence int...
Hobbs GD, Yealy DM, Rivas J.A retrospective chart review was conducted to define the demographic and injury patterns of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). The setting is a rural/small urban tertiary care center with approximately 40,000 visits per year. All patients presenting to the ED from January 1986 through December 1990 with equestrian-related injuries were enrolled in the study. Measurements included age, sex, mechanism of injury, injury or injuries diagnosed, admission to the hospital, morbidity, and mortality. A total of 142 patients met the inclusion criteria. The majority of injuries occurre...
