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Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia2021; 48(6); 882-890; doi: 10.1016/j.vaa.2021.04.013

Demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related risk factors for unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.

Abstract: To determine demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related variables that may be associated with unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery (colic) in an equine teaching hospital. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A total of 313 horses. Methods: The anaesthetic records of horses admitted for surgical treatment of colic between 2005 and 2018 were examined. Overall quality of recovery was assessed as dangerous, poor, fair, good or excellent. The following categories were constructed as a dichotomic variable: unsatisfactory recovery (poor and dangerous recoveries) and satisfactory recovery (excellent, good and fair recoveries). Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to evaluate the association between all studied variables and recovery. Results: All recoveries were unassisted. Unsatisfactory recovery quality totalled 17.2% (3.5% and 13.7% were dangerous and poor recoveries, respectively), whereas satisfactory recoveries totalled 82.8% (26.2%, 40.9% and 15.7% were fair, good and excellent recoveries, respectively). Univariable analysis showed that unsatisfactory recoveries were associated with high preoperative packed cell volume, pain behaviour, poor premedication and induction quality, high intraoperative mean heart rate, low mean arterial blood pressure, dobutamine dose ≥1.5 μg kg minute, non-administration of romifidine, long anaesthesia time and prolonged time to stand. The multivariable model showed that factors strongly associated with unsatisfactory recovery quality were dobutamine dose ≥1.5 μg kg minute [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.60; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.91-14.96], poor premedication quality (AOR=4.60; 95% CI, 1.73-12.23) and a time to stand > 70 minutes (AOR=2.59; 95% CI, 1.13-5.91). Conclusions: Our study shows that high dobutamine requirements, poor premedication quality and a prolonged time to stand are risk factors for unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing anaesthesia for colic surgery. Addressing these factors may enable clinicians to improve the quality of recovery phase.
Publication Date: 2021-09-04 PubMed ID: 34642100DOI: 10.1016/j.vaa.2021.04.013Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research examines the association between various factors, such as demographic, preoperative, and anaesthesia-related, and the quality of recovery in horses after emergency abdominal surgery. The study finds that high dobutamine requirements, poor premedication quality and a prolonged time to stand are risk factors for an unsatisfactory recovery.

Methods

  • The study used a retrospective case series method, analysing the medical records of 313 horses that undergone surgical treatment for colic between 2005 and 2018 at an equine teaching hospital.
  • Recovery quality was classified into two categories: ‘unsatisfactory recoveries’ (poor and dangerous recoveries) and ‘satisfactory recoveries’ (excellent, good, and fair recoveries). This was a dichotomous variable, implying that each recovery was categorized as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
  • Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between the study variables and the quality of recovery.

Results

  • All recoveries were unassisted. Unsatisfactory recovery was observed in 17.2% of the cases, while satisfactory recovery was 82.8%.
  • Several factors were identified as significantly associated with unsatisfactory recovery during the univariable analysis. These include high preoperative packed cell volume, pain behaviour, poor premedication and induction quality, high intraoperative mean heart rate, low mean arterial blood pressure, high dobutamine dose, non-administration of romifidine, prolonged anaesthesia and time to stand.
  • According to the multivariable model, the factors most strongly linked with unsatisfactory recovery were high dobutamine dose (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 6.60), poor premedication quality (AOR = 4.60), and a prolonged time to stand (AOR = 2.59).

Conclusions

  • The study concludes that high dobutamine requirements, poor premedication, and an extended time to stand are risk factors that can negatively affect the quality of recovery in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.
  • The findings of this study suggest that addressing these factors could help veterinarians to improve the recovery phase for horses after surgery.

Cite This Article

APA
Santiago-Llorente I, López-San Román FJ, Villalba-Orero M. (2021). Demographic, preoperative and anaesthesia-related risk factors for unsatisfactory recovery quality in horses undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Vet Anaesth Analg, 48(6), 882-890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2021.04.013

Publication

ISSN: 1467-2995
NlmUniqueID: 100956422
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 48
Issue: 6
Pages: 882-890
PII: S1467-2987(21)00247-6

Researcher Affiliations

Santiago-Llorente, Isabel
  • Hospital Clínico Veterinario Complutense, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
López-San Román, Francisco Javier
  • Hospital Clínico Veterinario Complutense, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Villalba-Orero, María
  • Hospital Clínico Veterinario Complutense, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: mvorero@ucm.es.

MeSH Terms

  • Anesthesia / veterinary
  • Animals
  • Colic / veterinary
  • Demography
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Straticò P, Varasano V, Palozzo A, Guerri G, Celani G, Revelant O, Petrizzi L. Retrospective Study on Risk Factors and Short-Term Outcome of Horses Referred for Colic from 2016 to 2022. Vet Sci 2022 Oct 3;9(10).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci9100545pubmed: 36288158google scholar: lookup
  2. Román Durá B, Dunham O, Grulke S, Salciccia A, Dupont J, Sandersen C. A Retrospective Study on Pre- and Intraoperative Predictors on the Recovery Quality of Horses After General Anesthesia. Vet Sci 2025 Mar 11;12(3).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci12030262pubmed: 40266986google scholar: lookup