Bacterial culturing of ventral median celiotomies for prediction of postoperative incisional complications in horses.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether detection of bacterial contamination of ventral midline incisions was predictive of postoperative incisional complications in horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy for colic. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Horses that had ventral median celiotomies for colic at Colorado State University between May 1, 1991 and April 30, 1993 were studied prospectively. Complete information was obtained on 66 horses. Methods: Bacterial cultures were obtained from ventral midline incisions at surgery. Information regarding the type of surgery performed (celiotomy vs celiotomy plus enterotomy or enterectomy), preoperative total nucleated cells and presence of a left shift, postoperative fever (> 38.5 degrees C), incisional drainage, incisional herniation, and outcome were obtained from medical records. Additional information concerning incisional drainage, herniation, and survival was obtained at a minimum of 18 months after surgery. Results: Examination of odds ratio (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) revealed that a celiotomy plus enterotomy or enterectomy was positively, but not significantly, associated (OR > 1) with positive culture results, presence of incisional drainage and incisional herniation. A significant association between incisional drainage and hernia formation was found; odds of incisional herniation were 62.5 times greater in horses that had incisional drainage. Incisional drainage and herniation were negatively associated with patient survival. The later association was significant (OR = 0.18, P = .04). Conclusions: This study indicated that detection of bacterial contamination at incisional closure by the swab culture technique was not beneficial in the prediction of postoperative incisional problems in horses undergoing colic surgery. Incisional drainage or infection appeared to be associated with hernia formation. Conclusions: Immediate treatment of incisional drainage or method to prevent incisional infections may decrease hernia formation.
Publication Date: 1997-01-01 PubMed ID: 9123817DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1997.tb01456.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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
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 study investigates whether finding bacterial contamination in surgical incisions can predict postoperative complications in horses. However, the results showed that this method does not effectively predict the occurrence of postoperative incisional complications in horses who had colic surgery.
Research Methods
- The study was conducted on horses that underwent ventral median celiotomies due to colic at Colorado State University between May 1991 to April 1993. A total of 66 horses were studied.
- During surgery, bacterial cultures were taken from the ventral midline incisions.
- Records provided insights into aspects like the type of surgery undergone, preoperative total nucleated cells, instances of left shift, presence of postoperative fever, incisional drainage, incisional herniation, and overall outcome.
- Further information on incisional drainage, herniation, and the mortality of the horses was collected at least 18 months post-surgery.
Research Findings
- Statistics revealed a positive but not significant correlation between surgeries involving enterotomy or enterectomy and positive culture results plus indications of incisional drainage and herniation.
- The study found a substantial association between incisional drainage and hernia formation. Horses with incisional drainage had 62.5 times greater odds of developing an incisional hernia. These same horses had a decreased chance of survival.
Research Conclusions
- The method of detecting bacterial contamination at the incision closure time by a swab culture technique was found to be ineffective in predicting postoperative complications in colic surgeries for horses. Specifically, it could not predict incisional problems.
- Postoperative complications like incisional drainage or infection were found to be linked to hernia formation.
- The study suggests that immediate treatment of incisional drainage or measures to prevent infections could help to reduce the incidence of hernia formation.
Cite This Article
APA
Ingle-Fehr JE, Baxter GM, Howard RD, Trotter GW, Stashak TS.
(1997).
Bacterial culturing of ventral median celiotomies for prediction of postoperative incisional complications in horses.
Vet Surg, 26(1), 7-13.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950x.1997.tb01456.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Abdomen / microbiology
- Abdomen / surgery
- Animals
- Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
- Escherichia coli Infections / complications
- Escherichia coli Infections / veterinary
- Hernia / diagnosis
- Hernia / epidemiology
- Hernia / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Prospective Studies
- Staphylococcal Infections / complications
- Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
- Staphylococcus / isolation & purification
- Streptococcal Infections / complications
- Streptococcal Infections / veterinary
- Streptococcus / isolation & purification
- Surgical Wound Infection / diagnosis
- Surgical Wound Infection / etiology
- Surgical Wound Infection / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Spadola F, Neve VC, Interlandi CD, Spadaro A, Macrì F, Iannelli NM, Costa GL. Hernioplasty with Peritoneal Flap for the Surgical Treatment of Umbilical Hernia in Swine. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 22;12(23).
- Stöckle SD, Kannapin DA, Kauter AML, Lübke-Becker A, Walther B, Merle R, Gehlen H. A Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial Comparing a Short-Term Perioperative Prophylaxis Regimen to a Long-Term Standard Protocol in Equine Colic Surgery. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021 May 16;10(5).
- Crosa AT, Katzman SA, Kelleher ME, Nieto JE, Kilcoyne I, Dechant JE. Incidence of incisional complications after exploratory celiotomy in equids affected with enterolithiasis. Can Vet J 2020 Oct;61(10):1085-1091.
- Scharner D, Gittel C, Winter K, Blaue D, Schedlbauer C, Vervuert I, Brehm W. Comparison of incisional complications between skin closures using a simple continuous or intradermal pattern: a pilot study in horses undergoing ventral median celiotomy. PeerJ 2018;6:e5772.
- Isgren CM, Salem SE, Townsend NB, Timofte D, Maddox TW, Archer DC. Sequential bacterial sampling of the midline incision in horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy. Equine Vet J 2019 Jan;51(1):38-44.
- Mohsina A, Kumar N, Sharma AK, Mishra B, Mathew DD, Remya V, Shrivastava S, Negi M, Kritaniya D, Tamil Mahan P, Maiti SK, Shrivastava S, Singh KP. Bioengineered acellular dermal matrices for the repair of abdominal wall defects in rats. Hernia 2015 Apr;19(2):219-29.
- Crabtree NE, Capper AM, McKinnon LH, Epstein KL. Perioperative factors and outcomes associated with antimicrobial therapy duration in horses undergoing exploratory celiotomy. Can Vet J 2025 Jun;66(6):653-662.
- Cerullo A, Di Nicola MR, Scilimati N, Bertoletti A, Pollicino G, Moroni B, Pepe M, Nannarone S, Gialletti R, Passamonti F. Intra- and Post-Operative Bacteriological Surveys of Surgical Site in Horses: A Single-Centre Study. Microorganisms 2025 Apr 17;13(4).
- Griessel TS, Muñoz Morán JA, Byaruhanga C, Smit Y. A single-centre retrospective study of surgical site infection following equine colic surgery (2013‒2021). Vet Rec 2025 May 17;196(10):e5227.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
