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Accuracy of clinicians in predicting site and type of lesion as well as outcome in horses with colic.
Abstract: To assess the ability of clinicians to predict the site and type of lesion as well as outcome in horses with colic. Methods: Prospective case study. Methods: 139 horses admitted for evaluation of signs of colic. Methods: Six interns and residents examined horses with colic and predicted the segment of intestine that was affected, the type of lesion, and whether the horse would survive to discharge. Accuracy of prediction of site and type of lesion and survival prediction was compared between the first and second halves of the year, using chi 2 analysis and 95% confidence intervals on sensitivity and specificity. chi 2 Analysis was used to assess accuracy between predicted site and type of lesion and intraoperative or necropsy findings and to assess accuracy between predicted survival and actual outcome. Results: Significant association existed between predicted segment of affected intestine or type of lesion and intraoperative findings (P < 0.05). There was a significant association between predicted survival and outcome (P < 0.001). Accuracy of survival prediction improved significantly (P = 0.002) during the year. Conclusions: Clinicians can accurately predict horses with colic that will survive surgery on the basis of clinical impressions. The ability to predict those horses that will survive improves with training.
Publication Date: 1995-12-01 PubMed ID: 7493873 The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Signs
- Clinical Study
- Colic
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Post-Operative Period
- Prognosis
- Surgery
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research examines how accurately clinicians can predict the location and type of intestinal lesions, as well as the survival outcomes, in horses suffering from colic. The findings suggest that clinicians can accurately predict the surgical outcomes and that their predictive ability improves with training.
Research Methodology
- In this prospective case study, the research team critically observed and evaluated the diagnostic ability of six interns and residents. These clinicians examined 139 horses admitted for evaluation of signs of colic.
- Their task was to predict the segment of the intestine affected by colic, the type of lesion present, and the likelihood of the horse’s survival to discharge after treatment.
- To assess the accuracy of these predictions, the first and second halves of the year were compared using chi-square analysis and 95% confidence intervals on sensitivity and specificity. Chi-square analysis was also used to match predicted site and type of lesions against intraoperative or necropsy findings and to compare predicted survival against the actual outcome.
Research Findings
- The outcomes showed a significant association between the predicted segment of affected intestine or type of lesion and the actual intraoperative findings. As long as P-value is less than 0.05, it shows a statistically significant relationship between the variables.
- Moreover, the relation between predicted survival and actual outcome was significantly strong (P < 0.001). Therefore, the clinician's predictions about the horse’s survival were correct in most cases.
- There was a notable increase in prediction accuracy about survival during the year (P = 0.002). This indicates that the clinicians’ ability to predict accurately improved over the course of the study, possibly due to the accumulation of clinical experience and training.
Conclusions
- This research concluded that clinicians have the capability to accurately predict which horses suffering from colic can survive post-surgery.
- This predictive ability isn’t static but improves over time with continual training and experience. Hence, including clinical impression as part of the diagnostic process for horses suffering from colic can be beneficial.
Cite This Article
APA
Blikslager AT, Roberts MC.
(1995).
Accuracy of clinicians in predicting site and type of lesion as well as outcome in horses with colic.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 207(11), 1444-1447.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Food Animal and Equine Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Chi-Square Distribution
- Clinical Competence
- Colic / diagnosis
- Colic / mortality
- Colic / veterinary
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horses
- Prognosis
- Prospective Studies
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Survival Rate
- Veterinary Medicine / standards
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Macleod BM, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM, Bishop RC. Integration of machine learning and viscoelastic testing to improve survival prediction in horses experiencing acute abdominal pain at a veterinary teaching hospital. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):105-114.
- Ihler CF, Venger JL, Skjerve E. Evaluation of clinical and laboratory variables as prognostic indicators in hospitalised gastrointestinal colic horses. Acta Vet Scand 2004;45(1-2):109-18.
- Thoefner MB, Ersbøll BK, Jansson N, Hesselholt M. Diagnostic decision rule for support in clinical assessment of the need for surgical intervention in horses with acute abdominal pain. Can J Vet Res 2003 Jan;67(1):20-9.
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