Admission clinicopathological data, length of stay, cost and mortality in an equine neonatal intensive care unit.

The research article is about a study done on newborn horses admitted in an intensive care unit to identify vital factors that affect their chances of survival. The study takes into account clinical data from the time of admission, the cost of stay, length of stay, and the mortality rate.

Study Objective

• The prime objective of this study was to assist Veterinary internists in enhancing the prediction of patient outcomes in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The goal was to dissect the influence of different factors, including the laboratory data collected on admission, the cost of hospitalisation, the length of stay (LOS), and the mortality rate.

Study Design

• A retrospective study design was used, with a sample size of 62 equine neonates. The neonates were patients in the NICU at a private equine referral hospital.
• The vital parameters that were evaluated included the neonate’s blood white cell count (WBC), total CO2 (TCO2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), anion gap, hematocrit, the albumin/globulin ratio, potassium, sodium, and lactate levels.

Major Findings

• The study found significant variances between survivors and non-survivors. The WBC, TCO2, and ALP levels were significantly higher in survivors, while the anion gap was lower.
• The logistic regression model built using the above-mentioned various parameters could predict mortality in 84% of cases. However, only the anion gap emerged as an independent predictor of neonatal mortality in the study.
• In the chosen population, the study found that the overall mortality rate was 34% with the highest mortality rates reported in the first 48 hours and on day 6 of hospitalisation.
• Foals with the highest mortality were those which underwent forced extraction during the correction of dystocia.
• It was also divulged that the median cost per day was higher for non-survivors, while the total cost was higher in survivors.

Implication of The Study

• The findings of this research provide valuable insights to Veterinary internists, aiding them in determining prognostic factors for neonates admitted in a NICU.
• Such data can facilitate early risk detection, allow for prompt intervention, and aid in more informed decision-making related to treatment options and cost management.