Assessment of acute moderate hyperglycemia on traditional and thromboelastometry coagulation parameters in healthy adult horses.

The research is a study into whether forced temporary moderate high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) has an impact on blood coagulation (ability to form clots) in healthy grown horses.

Study Design and Methodology

• The research was a prospective experimental study conducted at a university veterinary teaching hospital. It involved six healthy adult horses.
• The experiment involved inducing hyperglycemia in the horses, raising their blood sugar levels to 180-240 mg/dL, which is considered moderate hyperglycemia. This was maintained for a duration of 6 hours using a method called the hyperglycemic clamp technique.
• To measure blood glucose concentrations, a point-of-care (POC) glucometer was used at intervals of 10 and 20 minutes during the experiment.
• The researchers studied the horse’s coagulation using various parameters such as platelet count, fibrinogen concentration, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), thrombin antithrombin complex level (TAT), and thromboelastometry (TEM).
• All these parameters were examined before and after inserting a jugular catheter, before administering glucose, and at 3 and 6 hours of sustained hyperglycemia.

Results of the Study

• The researchers were able to maintain blood glucose concentration above 180 mg/dL throughout the duration of the hyperglycemic clamp. The average concentration recorded with the POC glucometer was 216 ± 6 mg/dL.
• The analysis showed that there was no significant difference in any of the evaluated parameters associated with sustained hyperglycemia. This suggests that the acute moderate hyperglycemia did not significantly impact coagulation in the healthy adult horses.
• However, a significant rise in TAT was observed after the jugular catheter was placed. The average TAT rose from 0.8 ± 0.3 μg/L before the placement of the catheter, to 2.3 ± 0.8 μg/L after the catheter placement. TAT is an indicator of the generation of thrombin, an enzyme essential to the coagulation process, which suggests that the act of placing the jugular catheter resulted in an increase in thrombin generation.

Conclusions Drawn

• In conclusion, this study found that acute moderate high blood sugar does not notably impact the blood’s ability to clot (coagulation) based on the parameters they evaluated in healthy adult horses.
• The placement of a jugular catheter causes a noticeable rise in thrombin production, as measured by higher TAT levels.