Clinical findings associated with development of postoperative reflux and short-term survival after small intestinal surgery in geriatric and mature nongeriatric horses.
Abstract: To determine risk factors, especially age, associated with postoperative reflux (POR; >2 L of reflux present upon intubation), high-volume POR (≥20 L in 24 hours), and short-term outcome after small intestinal (SI) surgery. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Horses aged ≥16 years (geriatric; range, 16-30; n = 44) and <16 years (mature; range, 2-15; n = 39) with an SI surgical lesion that survived general anesthesia and did not have a second exploratory celiotomy during the same visit. Methods: Medical records (2009-2015) were reviewed; perioperative variables were evaluated for associations with outcomes by using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Postoperative reflux was associated with an increasing packed cell volume at admission (odds ratio [OR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16; P = .042) and presence of nasogastric reflux at admission (OR, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.3-15.69; P = .014). High-volume POR was associated with an increasing glycemia at admission (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.40; P = .041), presence of nasogastric reflux at admission (OR, 10.05; 95% CI, 2.21-45.74; P = .003), and SI resection (OR, 10.52; 95% CI, 1.81-61.25; P = .009). Increasing surgical time (OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.16-5.29; P = .019) and high-volume POR (OR, 6.37; 95% CI, 2.12-19.12; P = .001) were associated with nonsurvival. Conclusions: Age, considered as both a continuous variable and a categorical variable, was not associated with the development of POR, high-volume POR, or nonsurvival. Conclusions: Age does not influence the occurrence of POR and should not negatively impact an owner's decision to pursue surgery in aged horses.
© 2019 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Publication Date: 2019-04-19 PubMed ID: 31002397DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13217Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study investigates the risk factors, with an emphasis on age, connected with postoperative reflux and short-term survival outcomes following small intestine surgery in both geriatric and mature horses.
Objective and Methodology
- The primary objective of this study was to understand the risk factors, particularly age, that contribute to postoperative reflux (POR), high-volume POR, and short-term survival outcomes after small intestine surgery in horses.
- This was a retrospective case-control study, based on medical records from 2009-2015 of horses aged 16 years and older (geriatric; 44 in total) and horses under 16 years old (mature; 39 in total) that had underwent small intestine surgery and survived the general anesthesia.
- The study excluded cases in which a second exploratory celiotomy was conducted during the same visit.
- Risk factors were evaluated for associations with outcomes using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results
- The findings of the study showed that the occurrence of postoperative reflux was associated with an increased packed cell volume at admission (odds ratio [OR] = 1.08) and presence of nasogastric reflux at admission (OR = 4.61).
- High-volume POR was associated with increasing glycemia levels at admission (OR = 1.19), presence of nasogastric reflux at admission (OR = 10.05), and small intestine resection (OR = 10.52).
- Nonsurvival was associated with increasing surgical time (OR = 2.50) and high-volume POR (OR = 6.37).
Conclusion
- The study concluded that age, whether considered a continuous or categorical variable, was not associated with the development of POR, high-volume POR, or nonsurvival.
- The authors concluded that age does not influence the incidence of POR and therefore, should not adversely impact an owner’s decision to pursue surgery in older horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Boorman S, Stefanovski D, Southwood LL.
(2019).
Clinical findings associated with development of postoperative reflux and short-term survival after small intestinal surgery in geriatric and mature nongeriatric horses.
Vet Surg, 48(5), 795-802.
https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13217 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
- Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
- Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Colic / veterinary
- Digestive System Surgical Procedures / adverse effects
- Digestive System Surgical Procedures / veterinary
- Female
- Gastroesophageal Reflux / etiology
- Gastroesophageal Reflux / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Male
- Odds Ratio
- Postoperative Complications / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Bishop RC, Arrington JV, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM. Alterations in the Peritoneal Fluid Proteome of Horses with Colic Attributed to Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Intestinal Disease. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 30;15(11).
- Rockow M, Griffenhagen G, Landolt G, Hendrickson D, Pezzanite L. The Effects of Antimicrobial Protocols and Other Perioperative Factors on Postoperative Complications in Horses Undergoing Celiotomy: A Retrospective Analysis, 2008-2021. Animals (Basel) 2023 Nov 19;13(22).
- Verhaar N, Hoppe S, Grages AM, Hansen K, Neudeck S, Kästner S, Mazzuoli-Weber G. Dexmedetomidine Has Differential Effects on the Contractility of Equine Jejunal Smooth Muscle Layers In Vitro. Animals (Basel) 2023 Mar 10;13(6).
- DeNotta S, McFarlane D. Immunosenescence and inflammaging in the aged horse. Immun Ageing 2023 Jan 6;20(1):2.
- Boorman S, Scherrer NM, Stefanovski D, Johnson AL. Facial nerve paralysis in 64 equids: Clinical variables, diagnosis, and outcome. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1308-1320.
- Cuevas-Ramos G, Domenech L, Prades M. Small Intestine Ultrasound Findings on Horses Following Exploratory Laparotomy, Can We Predict Postoperative Reflux?. Animals (Basel) 2019 Dec 9;9(12).
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