Comparison of complication rates following elective arthroscopy performed as inpatient versus outpatient surgery in horses.

This research is about comparing the complication rates of elective arthroscopy in horses and determining whether the rates are higher in outpatient procedures than inpatient procedures. The study concluded that outpatient elective arthroscopy can be performed safely without a higher risk of complications compared to inpatient procedures.

Research Design

• The research was a retrospective cohort study involving 357 client-owned horses that had undergone 366 elective arthroscopic procedures from January 2008 to February 2015.
• Data were collected retrospectively from medical records, capturing various details such as the horse’s signalment, travel time to the hospital, clinical signs, joints treated, diagnosed lesions, medications administered, time of anesthesia and surgery, procedural details, and whether the horse was an inpatient (remained hospitalized overnight) or outpatient (discharged on the day of the surgery).
• The researchers then analysed the collected data, including follow-up information, to identify factors that were associated with postoperative complications and potentially correlated with hospitalization status.

Findings

• Of the 366 elective arthroscopic procedures, 168 (46%) were outpatient, while 198 (54%) were inpatient.
• Complications that were observed included bandage sores, catheter problems, colic, diarrhea, postoperative discomfort, esophageal impaction, fever, postanesthetic myopathy, persistent synovitis, persistent lameness, septic arthritis, and osteochondral fragments not removed during the initial surgery.
• None of these complications were found to be associated with the hospitalization status (i.e., whether the horse was an outpatient or inpatient).
• However, the study found that Standardbreds were overrepresented in the outpatient group and that anesthesia and surgery times were longer for the inpatient group.

Conclusions

• The research concluded that outpatient elective arthroscopy can be performed safely on healthy horses without incurring a higher risk of complications, similar to procedures performed on an inpatient basis.
• These findings are important as they can inform treatment decisions and serve to reassure owners who may prefer or need to choose outpatient surgery for their horses.