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Topic:Post-Operative Period
The post-operative period in horses refers to the timeframe following surgical procedures during which the animal undergoes recovery and rehabilitation. This period involves careful monitoring and management to ensure proper healing and to minimize complications. Key aspects of the post-operative period include pain management, wound care, and the prevention of infections. Horses may require restricted movement, dietary adjustments, and regular veterinary evaluations to assess recovery progress. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the management strategies, physiological responses, and outcomes associated with the post-operative period in equine patients.
Equine postanaesthetic myositis: a possible role for free radical generation and membrane lipoperoxidation. A method for the evaluation of total plasma antihydroxyl and antiperferryl activity is described. This method was applied to horse plasma obtained during halothane anaesthesia. In horses suffering from postanaesthetic myositis, a significant decrease in the antiperferryl activity was observed during anaesthesia particularly when the muscular compression produced by the weight of the horse was released. In the affected muscles, strong oxidants could therefore be generated during the reperfusion of the ischaemic muscles and might initiate membrane lipid peroxidation. This phenomenon could possib...
Ileocecal intussusception in horses: 26 cases (1981-1988). The case records of 26 horses with ileocecal intussusception over a 7-year period were reviewed to determine clinical features of the disease and response to treatment. The median age of horses with ileocecal intussusception was 1 year and ranged from 2 weeks to 19 years. There was no apparent gender or breed predisposition to this disease. An acute form of ileocecal intussusception was diagnosed in 19 horses with signs of moderate to severe abdominal pain of less than or equal to 24 hours' duration, and a chronic form was diagnosed in 7 horses with signs of intermittent, mild to moderate abdo...
Delayed wound closure and scar revision. Delayed closure is an underutilized technique that can produce a good cosmetic result in lower leg wounds and can significantly shorten the healing time. To be successful, the surgeon should be able to utilize tension-relieving techniques and manage dead space. Scar revision should be limited to simple elliptical excision or modifications thereof until experience is developed. Sliding skin flaps, Z-plasties, and W-plasties are used infrequently and require adequate preoperative planning.
Hoof injuries. Major surgery for wounds of the foot, compared with other parts of the body, requires a more detailed preparation and a more persistent aftercare. To approach severe hoof wounds with a routine applicable to drainage of a subsolar abscess is doomed to failure! Yet, in dealing with referral cases of hoof wounds, particularly those that have become chronic, the author has observed that the principles have been ignored and/or the routines inadequate. The hoof has a suitable capacity to heal, with complete reformation of hoof structures, if a healing environment is maintained for a long enough peri...
Internal fixation of a transverse scapular neck fracture in a filly. A 3-week-old Standardbred filly had a non-weightbearing forelimb lameness caused by scapular neck fracture. The fracture was repaired with 2 dynamic compression plates placed 90 degrees to each other. A 10-hole 4.5-mm narrow dynamic compression plate was placed on the cranial aspect of the scapular spine, and a 10-hole 3.5-mm dynamic compression plate was placed caudal to the scapular spine. One year after surgery, the filly was not lame when exercising in the pasture, and muscle atrophy was not evident on the affected limb. Eighteen months after surgery, the filly was in race training with no...
Retrospective evaluation of repeat celiotomy in 53 horses with acute gastrointestinal disease. Fifty-three of 648 horses (8.2%) treated surgically for acute gastrointestinal obstruction were subjected to repeat celiotomy. Forty horses (75%) recovered from anesthesia after repeat celiotomy, and 26 horses (49%) were discharged from the clinic. Excluding two horses lost to follow-up, 10 of 51 horses (20%) survived long term. Horses subjected to repeat celiotomy had a significantly lower long-term survival rate than horses subjected to a single celiotomy. Twenty-eight horses had mechanical obstructions, and 22 had functional obstructions at the second surgery. Significantly more horses with...
Survival after small intestine resection and anastomosis in horses. The authors examined factors influencing survival in 140 horses that recovered from anesthesia after small intestinal resection between 1968 and 1986, using Kaplan-Meier estimated survival curves and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Seventy-two horses (51%) died during the initial postoperative period, 19 horses (14%) died after discharge from the hospital, 33 horses (24%) were alive, and 16 horses (11%) were classified as censored. Mean age at surgery was 8 years. Horses 15 years of age or older, Arabians and Stallions, were overrepresented in the hospital population. The most c...
Abdominal adhesions after small intestinal surgery in the horse. One hundred thirteen of 172 horses (66%) undergoing exploratory celiotomy for a small intestinal lesion survived 4 or more days after surgery. Intra-abdominal adhesions causing clinical problems requiring additional surgery or euthanasia were documented in 25 horses (22.1%). Problems developed in significantly more males than females. The most common initial small bowel lesion was ileal impaction (12 horses); 21 horses underwent small intestinal resection or bypass. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of intra-abdominal adhesions between horses that underwent intestin...
Esophageal disorders in 61 horses. Results of nonsurgical and surgical management. Obstructive esophageal disorders in 61 horses included feed or foreign body impaction (27 horses), strictures (18 horses), perforations (11 horses), and diverticula (5 horses). Horses with feed impaction were treated nonsurgically (25 horses) or by esophagotomy (2 horses). Survival to discharge was 78%, and 37% of these had persistent chronic obstruction at home. Long-term survival was 52%. Long-term survival of nine horses treated nonsurgically for esophageal strictures was 22%; for nine horses treated surgically it was 44%. Long-term survival of horses treated nonsurgically was significantly...
Umbilical cord remnant abscess in a yearling colt. An abscess of the external umbilical remnant and umbilical vein remnant was diagnosed in a 16-month-old colt, using ultrasonography. Because of the colt's size, primary closure of the surgical incision after umbilical cord resection was not complete. Vertical mattress stainless steel sutures and stents were used, and healing was by second intention. Intervening gas-filled viscera made it impossible to visualize ultrasonographically the bladder of umbilical artery remnants in a colt of this age.
Surgical treatment of septic pedal osteitis in horses: nine cases (1980-1987). Over an 8-year period, 9 horses with septic pedal osteitis were admitted to the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine. Septic pedal osteitis was defined by the presence of purulent exudate combined with radiographic evidence of lysis of the distal phalanx. The condition described involved only the distal phalanx, the laminae and hoofwall, and the soft tissues of the sole. Treatment included curettage and removal of the affected portion of the distal phalanx through a ventral approach to the foot, combined with systemic administration of antibodies. Of the 9 horses, 7 returned to soundn...
Chronic ileocecal intussusception in horses. Ten young horses with signs of simple partial obstruction of the small intestine were found upon surgical exploration of the abdomen to have chronic intussusception of the distal ileum into the cecum. Poor general physical condition, intermittent or continual abdominal pain of varying degree, depression, and poor appetite were consistent clinical findings. Rectal palpation in eight animals was suggestive of an incomplete or intermittent obstruction of the small intestine. Laboratory determinations were not helpful in making a diagnosis. Dilatation and hypertrophy of the distal jejunum and ileu...
Internal fixation of comminuted transverse scapular fracture in a foal. A comminuted scapular fracture in a foal was treated surgically by use of 2 dynamic compression plates. The plates were applied upside down, so that the convex surface of the plate faced the bone. At 5 months after surgery, the plates were removed, and the foal recovered without complications.
Strangulating volvulus of the ascending colon in horses. Of 57 horses with strangulating volvulus of the ascending colon, 42 were mares (including 21 postparturient mares), 8 were stallions, and 7 were geldings. Volvulus occurred most frequently in the summer (n = 24) and spring (n = 17). Pain was evaluated as severe in 41 horses, moderate in 9, and mild in 4. The abdominal fluid from 30 horses varied from clear yellow in 19 horses, to cloudy yellow in 3 horses, and serosanguineous in 8 horses. Protein content and nucleated cell count in the abdominal fluid were 2.5 +/- 1 g/dl and 1,000 +/- 900 microliters, respectively. Fifty horses had greater tha...
Dorsal subluxation of the proximal interphalangeal joint in the pelvic limb of three horses. In horses, dorsal subluxation of the proximal interphalangeal joint in the pelvic limb, which realigned when weight was applied to the limb, improved following surgery. Improvement was observed, if not immediately, at least within two weeks after treatment. The severity and duration of the condition appear to be important considerations in predicting the time necessary for resolution of the condition following surgery. Treatment consisted of surgical resection of a small segment of the medial head of the deep digital flexor tendon in the pelvic limb. The section removed was positioned distal t...
Large intestinal capacity, retention times, and turnover rates of particulate ingesta associated with extensive large-colon resection in horses. Fecal excretion of a particulate marker, ytterbium (Yb), was evaluated in 9 horses before surgery and 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months (4 trials) after sham-operation (group 1; n = 3) or extensive large colon resection (group 2; n = 6). Fecal excretion curves of total Yb excretion, loge Yb excretion, % Yb excretion, loge % Yb excretion, and cumulative % Yb excretion were evaluated, and kinetic analysis was performed on the loge Yb excretion curves to detect mixing pools and to calculate the fractional rate of particulate passage, turnover rate, and pool size. Calculations were performed to dete...
Factors affecting incisional complication rates associated with colic surgery in horses: 78 cases (1983-1985). From May 1, 1983 to April 1, 1985, 142 operations were performed on horses with signs of acute abdominal pain (colic), using a ventral midline incision. Seventy-eight horses lived for at least 15 days after surgery or had acute dehiscence and were included in the study. Seventy horses had surgery once, and 8 horses had surgery 2 or more times. Six-month follow-up evaluation was obtained for 66 horses that had 1 surgery and for 6 horses that had multiple surgeries. Incisional complications included drainage (including infection), acute dehiscence, hernia, and suture sinus formation. The effects...
Incisional hernias in the horse. Incidence and predisposing factors. Medical records of 210 horses that survived ventral midline celiotomy for at least 4 months were examined and owners were queried to determine factors contributing to incisional hernia formation. The incidence rate of incisional hernias within 4 months was 16%. Factors significantly associated with occurrence of incisional hernias were incisional drainage, closure of the linea alba with chromic gut suture material, previous midline celiotomy, excessive incisional edema, castrated male sex, postoperative leukopenia, and postoperative pain (colic). Factors not significantly associated with occur...
Pancarpal arthrodesis for treatment of carpal collapse in the adult horse. A report of two cases. Two mares with multiple carpal bone fractures, malarticulation and degenerative joint disease were successfully treated with unilateral arthrodeses of the antebrachiocarpal, middle carpal, and carpometacarpal joints. Arthrodesis was achieved by removal of articular cartilage, autogenous cancellous bone graft, and double dynamic compression plating. In one horse, wedge ostectomy corrected the severe, acquired angular limb deformity. External coaptation supplemented the internal fixation. Postoperative complications were limited to cast sores that healed with treatment, although protracted in on...
Postanesthetic compartmental syndrome in a horse. After surgery, high intramuscular pressures were measured in a horse with clinical signs of postanesthetic myopathy that developed following a 2.25-hour surgical procedure. In the postoperative period, tests for muscular and neurologic integrity were made, including measurement of intracompartmental muscle pressure.
Perioperative medical care for equine abdominal surgery. Rational perioperative management improves the success rate of abdominal surgery. Important aspects of management are discussed, including principles of fluid therapy, nutrition, intravenous catheterization, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Current advances in the area of immunotherapy are mentioned.
Determination of intestinal viability. Operations for intestinal ischemia are frequently done by veterinarians. In equine surgery those conditions commonly producing ischemia are intussusception, volvulus, bowel obstructions, and incarcerated hernias. In an attempt to predict intraoperative bowel viability after the restoration of circulation, a variety of adjuvant methods have been investigated. There is little question that of the techniques currently available, sodium fluorescein injected intravenously approaches the ideal in predicting nonviability in humans and in most animal models. Furthermore, it is safe, takes little opera...
Large colon resection. With large colon resection and anastomosis, up to 95 per cent of the length of the large colon has been successfully removed. A hand-sewn end-to-end anastomosis is effective for lesions in the left dorsal colon and pelvic flexure. Transection and a side-to-side anastomosis with stapling equipment is most effective for extensive resections (greater than 50 per cent). Horses with extensive colon resection (95 per cent) have permanent deficiencies of water absorption and digestion of cellulose and protein. Fermentative capacity is reduced, owing to decreased particulate matter retention time in t...
Prevention of large colon displacements and volvulus. Results of these studies have demonstrated that colopexy of the left large colon to the abdominal wall is a relatively simple and quick procedure that is permanent 1 year after surgery. The technique does not appear to be associated with long-term weight loss or abdominal pain after surgery. It has been used in pregnant mares, both experimentally and clinically, without apparent complications. In addition, horses used for pleasure-riding and show hunting have returned to performance and have not had complications. Large colon resection is a useful technique, especially for animals with strangu...
Intestinal healing and methods of anastomosis. Optimal intestinal healing occurs when like layers of the intestinal wall are aligned. Hand-sewn, double-layer, end-to-end anastomosis that apposes the mucosa and produces slight inversion of the seromuscular layer is recommended to minimize adhesion formation and provide reasonable alignment of the intestinal layers. Stapled, everted, triangulated, end-to-end anastomosis is not recommended because of extensive adhesion formation and poor healing of the intestinal layers. The preferred stapled techniques create an inverting, side-to-side stoma between the bowel segments.
Large colon resection. With large colon resection and anastomosis, up to 95 per cent of the length of the large colon has been successfully removed. A hand-sewn end-to-end anastomosis is effective for lesions in the left dorsal colon and pelvic flexure. Transection and a side-to-side anastomosis with stapling equipment is most effective for extensive resections (greater than 50 per cent). Horses with extensive colon resection (95 per cent) have permanent deficiencies of water absorption and digestion of cellulose and protein. Fermentative capacity is reduced, owing to decreased particulate matter retention time in t...
The effect of exercise on the healing of articular cartilage defects in the equine carpus. Arthroscopic surgery was performed on 12 horses (2-4 years of age) to create a 7 x 14 mm full-thickness cartilage defect in one radial carpal bone and in the contralateral third carpal bone. Six horses remained confined to a small paddock and six horses underwent a program of increasing exercise consisting of walking, trotting, and cantering for 13 weeks. All lesions showed evidence of healing at week 6 that progressed to more complete healing at week 13. There was no difference in the amount of repair tissue covering the defect. Histologically, the lesions healed with a combination of fibrous...
