A prospective multicentre survey of complications associated with equine castration to facilitate clinical audit.

The research investigates the rates and types of complications that arise from equine castration in general practice. It also identifies factors that might be associated with these complications.

Research Objective

This research aimed to perform a prospect audit on routine equine castrations done in general practices to find out their complication rates and the factors that are associated with these complications.

Research Methods

• 18 veterinary practices participated in a multicentre, prospective audit of castrations.
• Data on castrations were collected on the day of the operation and a follow-up was done 30 days post-operation.
• Using multilevel, multivariable logistic regression models, factors associated with the most common complications including bleeding within the first 24 hours, stiffness of gait and/or swelling, and discharge and/or infection were investigated.

Research Results

• Information from 495 castrations performed by 53 participating veterinary surgeons was collected.
• About 14.5% of the procedures reported one or more intraoperative complications, with bleeding and excessive movement being the most common.
• 11.2% of the cases had one or more complications reported, with swelling, infection, and stiffness of gait being the prevalent issues. Serious complications however were quite rare.
• Nearly all of the patients received preoperative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and antimicrobials.
• The majority of castrations were performed outdoors and with the horse recumbent.

Research Conclusions and Considerations

• The results suggest potential bias towards submission of data in favor of cases where complications arose.
• The power to determine factors associated with complications may be reduced due to the overall low rate of complications.
• Owners may not have reported minor complications, and these cases might be underrepresented as a result.
• Despite these considerations, the study concludes that overall complications associated with castration are low, and mortality is rare.
• These findings could serve as guidelines for veterinary practices to conduct regular audits to determine if their negative outcomes are similar or require additional study.