Comparison of survival rates for geriatric horses versus nongeriatric horses following exploratory celiotomy for colic.

This research article investigates the survival rates in geriatric horses undergoing abdominal exploratory surgery for colic in comparison with survival rates of younger horses undergoing the same procedure. Results indicate that survival rate was significantly lower for older horses, primarily due to a higher number of geriatric horses being euthanized during surgery.

Research Methods

• The researchers conducted a retrospective case-control study involving 56 geriatric horses (20 years and older) and 487 younger, nongeriatric horses. All these horses were undergoing an exploratory abdominal surgery known as a celiotomy due to colic, a common and severe gastrointestinal issue in horses.
• The team used medical records in their data collection, and these records were drawn from a 10-year span.
• Collection of data included various factors such as the type of primary gastrointestinal tract lesion, whether the horse was discharged alive, and the reason for euthanasia or death during surgery or prior to hospital discharge.
• Survival rates for different types of gastrointestinal lesions were calculated and then compared between the two age groups.
• For long-term outcomes, information was gathered through telephone conversations with the horse owners or their referring veterinarians.

Research Findings

• The study found that the hospital discharge survival rate for the geriatric horses was 50% (28 out of 56 horses), while for the nongeriatric horses it was significantly higher at 72% (352 out of 487 horses).
• Looking at post-surgery survival, of the horses that survived both the surgery and the recovery from anesthesia, 82% of the geriatric horses (28 out of 34) and 89% of the nongeriatric horses (352 out of 396) were alive upon discharge from the hospital.
• Long-term survival rates, over 1 year after surgery, were 70% for the geriatric horses with available data (14 out of 20), and much higher at 84% for the nongeriatric horses (108 out of 129).
• The main factor contributing to the lower survival rate for geriatric horses was the significant number of these horses that were euthanized during the surgery.

Conclusion

• The study concludes that the survival rate upon hospital discharge was markedly lower for geriatric horses when compared with nongeriatric horses that underwent the same procedure.
• The higher rate of in-surgery euthanasia seemed to fundamentally drive differences between the survival rates of the geriatric and nongeriatric populations.