Comparison of recoveries from anesthesia of horses placed on a rapidly inflating-deflating air pillow or the floor of a padded stall.
Abstract: To compare recoveries from anesthesia of horses placed on a conventional padded stall floor or on a specially designed air pillow. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 409 horses (> 1 year old) that were anesthetized for surgical procedures during a 37-month period. Methods: By random allocation, horses were allowed to recover from anesthesia in either a foammat-padded recovery stall or an identical recovery stall equipped with a rapidly inflating-deflating air pillow. All recoveries were videotaped for subsequent analysis by an independent evaluator. Times to first movement, first attempt to attain sternal recumbency, attainment of sternal recumbency, first attempt to stand, and successful standing were recorded. The numbers of attempts before achieving sternal recumbency and standing were counted, and scores for quality of standing and overall recovery were assigned. Recovery-related variables were compared between groups. Results: Compared with horses allowed to recover in a conventional manner, horses that recovered from anesthesia on the air pillow had a significantly longer rest period before attempting to attain sternal recumbency and rise to standing. Once the pillow was deflated, horses were able to stand after significantly fewer attempts and the quality of their standing was significantly better. Between the 2 groups of horses, there was no significant difference in overall recovery quality scores. The air pillow and padded floor systems were equally safe. Conclusions: Results suggested that use of a rapidly inflating-deflating air pillow promotes a longer period of recumbency and a better quality of standing after anesthesia in horses.
Publication Date: 2006-09-05 PubMed ID: 16948582DOI: 10.2460/javma.229.5.711Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study compares the recovery rates of horses from anesthesia when placed on a standard padded stall floor versus a specially engineered inflating-deflating air pillow. Overall, the research found that horses using the air pillow had an extended resting period before attempting to get up, required fewer attempts to stand, and presented significantly better quality of standing.
Objective and Methodology
- The primary objective of this research paper was to explore the differences in horses recovering from anesthesia when placed in two different environments: a foam padded recovery stall (conventional method) or a recovery stall equipped with an inflating-deflating air pillow.
- The researchers conducted a prospective study over 37 months involving 409 horses that were undergoing surgical procedures.
- The placement of the horses (either on the conventional foam pad or the air pillow) was randomly decided.
- All the recovery processes were recorded on video and analyzed by an independent party. They documented times to first movement, attempts to achieve sternal recumbency (lying on the chest), successful standing, and quality of overall recovery.
Findings
- Horses placed on the air pillows had a notably lengthier rest period before trying to achieve sternal recumbency and attempting to stand, compared to those placed on the conventional foam pad.
- Once the air pillow was deflated, these horses required significantly fewer attempts to stand, and the quality of their standing was noticeably superior.
- Despite the variation in the time to attempt standing and the number of attempts, the overall quality of recovery did not show significant differences between the two groups.
- The two recovery systems, the air pillow, and padded floor stall, were deemed equally safe for the horses.
Conclusions
- The study found that the use of a rapidly inflating-deflating air pillow prolongs the recumbency period and improves the quality of standing post-anesthesia in horses.
- Despite the benefits seen in the air pillow group, no significant difference was observed in the overall recovery scores between the two groups, indicating that traditional padded stalls remain an effective method.
Cite This Article
APA
Ray-Miller WM, Hodgson DS, McMurphy RM, Chapman PL.
(2006).
Comparison of recoveries from anesthesia of horses placed on a rapidly inflating-deflating air pillow or the floor of a padded stall.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 229(5), 711-716.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.229.5.711 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, 66506, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia / veterinary
- Anesthesia Recovery Period
- Animals
- Horses / physiology
- Horses / surgery
- Housing, Animal / standards
- Prospective Studies
- Random Allocation
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Cunneen A, Pratt S, Perkins N, McEwen M, Truchetti G, Rainger J, Farry T, Kidd L, Goodwin W. Total Intravenous Anaesthesia with Ketamine, Medetomidine and Midazolam as Part of a Balanced Anaesthesia Technique in Horses Undergoing Castration.. Vet Sci 2021 Jul 26;8(8).
- Gozalo-Marcilla M, Ringer SK. Recovery after General Anaesthesia in Adult Horses: A Structured Summary of the Literature.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 14;11(6).
- Niimura Del Barrio MC, David F, Hughes JML, Clifford D, Wilderjans H, Bennett R. A retrospective report (2003-2013) of the complications associated with the use of a one-man (head and tail) rope recovery system in horses following general anaesthesia.. Ir Vet J 2018;71:6.
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