Effect of a stent bandage on the likelihood of incisional infection following exploratory coeliotomy for colic in horses: a comparative retrospective study.
Abstract: Incisional infections are common in horses after colic surgery. There is a clinical impression that the use of a stent bandage reduces the prevalence of such infections. Objective: To determine the effect of a stent bandage on the likelihood of incisional infection after ventral midline exploratory coeliotomy. It was hypothesised that the use of a stent bandage would reduce the likelihood of incisional infection. Methods: Medical records of horses that underwent exploratory coeliotomy for colic between January 2005 and September 2011 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were animals that had one ventral midline coeliotomy and had survived at least 10 days after surgery. Horses were categorised into 2 groups:no-stent group and stent group. The following data were collected for each case: age, sex, weight, heart rate, packed cell volume, primary lesion, performance of an enterotomy or intestinal resection, surgical classification, use of local antimicrobials, duration of surgery, intra-abdominal administration of sodium carboxymethylcellulose, intravenous administration of lidocaine, surgeon, use of a stent bandage, duration of stent use, and use of a belly band. Factors associated with the outcome measure 'wound infection' vs. 'no wound infection' were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model for logistic regression with surgeon as a random effect. Results: The inclusion criteria were met in 130 horses: 55 were assigned to the no-stent group and 75 to the stent group. In the no-stent group, 12 (21.8%) horses developed incisional infections, whereas only 2 horses (2.7%) in the stent group had incisional infections. In the stent group, no incisional infections were observed during the last 20 months of the study. Statistical analysis showed that only the effect of the use of a stent bandage was significant (P = 0.005). Conclusions: The prevalence of incisional infections when a stent bandage was used was 2.7%, a finding that compared favourably to information in the literature. Use of a stent bandage significantly reduced the likelihood of incisional infections. Conclusions: A stent bandage would reduce the likelihood of incisional infection in horses undergoing exploratory coeliotomy for colic.
© 2012 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-01-07 PubMed ID: 23294287DOI: 10.1111/evj.12026Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Bandaging
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Colic
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Disease Prevention
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infection
- Post-Operative Period
- Retrospective Study
- Surgery
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Procedure
Summary
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This research article explores the effect of a stent bandage in reducing incisional infections in horses post colic surgery. The study found that the use of stent bandages significantly decreased the possibility of infections, confirming the established clinical belief.
Research Objective and Hypothesis
- The main goal of this research was to establish the impact of a stent bandage on the probability of infection at incisional sites post exploratory coeliotomy, a surgical procedure for treating colic in horses.
- The research hypothesis was that the application of a stent bandage would decrease the likelihood of incisional infections.
Methods
- The research involved a review of medical records of horses that underwent exploratory coeliotomy for colic between January 2005 and September 2011.
- The criteria for inclusion were horses that underwent a single ventral midline coeliotomy and survived at least 10 days after the surgery.
- The horses were grouped into two categories – those who used a stent bandage and those who did not.
- Data collected for each case included details like age, sex, weight, heart rate, primary lesion, surgical classification, use of local antimicrobials, duration of surgery, and use of stent bandage among others.
- The factors associated with the ‘wound infection’ and ‘no wound infection’ outcomes were analyzed using a logistic regression model.
Results
- The dataset included 130 horses meeting the inclusion criteria – 55 in the no-stent group and 75 in the stent group.
- In the group where no stent was used, there was a 21.8% incidence of incisional infections, while the rate dropped to 2.7% in horses that had a stent applied.
- In the duration of last 20 months of the study, no incisional infections were observed in the stent group.
- Results from the statistical analysis revealed that the use of a stent bandage was the only significant factor affecting the likelihood of infection (P = 0.005).
Conclusions
- The findings highlighted a significantly low prevalence (2.7%) of incisional infections when a stent bandage was used – a result well-aligned with general medical literature.
- The study supports the widespread clinical belief, concluding that the application of a stent bandage could drastically reduce the probability of incisional infections in horses undergoing exploratory coeliotomy for colic.
Cite This Article
APA
Tnibar A, Grubbe Lin K, Thurøe Nielsen K, Christophersen MT, Lindegaard C, Martinussen T, Ekstrøm CT.
(2013).
Effect of a stent bandage on the likelihood of incisional infection following exploratory coeliotomy for colic in horses: a comparative retrospective study.
Equine Vet J, 45(5), 564-569.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12026 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Colic / surgery
- Colic / veterinary
- Compression Bandages / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Laparotomy / adverse effects
- Laparotomy / veterinary
- Male
- Surgical Wound Infection / prevention & control
- Surgical Wound Infection / veterinary
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- McCorkell TC, Espinosa Seoane D, Zani-Ruttenstock E, Doktor F, Figueira R, Sinclair M, Zur Linden A, Horna M, Recchi L, Defarges A, Antounians L, Bütter A, Zani A, Koenig J. Veterinary and technical optimization of the fetal sheep model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: implications for translational pediatric surgery. Front Surg 2025;12:1711870.
- Cerullo A, Di Nicola MR, Scilimati N, Bertoletti A, Pollicino G, Moroni B, Pepe M, Nannarone S, Gialletti R, Passamonti F. Intra- and Post-Operative Bacteriological Surveys of Surgical Site in Horses: A Single-Centre Study. Microorganisms 2025 Apr 17;13(4).
- Griessel TS, Muñoz Morán JA, Byaruhanga C, Smit Y. A single-centre retrospective study of surgical site infection following equine colic surgery (2013‒2021). Vet Rec 2025 May 17;196(10):e5227.
- Isgren CM, Pinchbeck GL, Salem SE, Hann MJ, Townsend NB, Cullen MD, Archer DC. Evaluation of a stent dressing and abdominal bandage on surgical site infection following emergency equine laparotomy: A randomised controlled trial. Equine Vet J 2025 Nov;57(6):1466-1477.
- Gehlen H, Klein KS, Merle R, Lübke-Becker A, Stoeckle SD. Does colonization with MRSA, ESBL - producing Enterobacteriaceae, and/or Acinetobacter baumannii - increase the risk for postoperative surgical site infection?. Vet Med Sci 2023 Mar;9(2):729-737.
- Stöckle SD, Kannapin DA, Kauter AML, Lübke-Becker A, Walther B, Merle R, Gehlen H. A Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial Comparing a Short-Term Perioperative Prophylaxis Regimen to a Long-Term Standard Protocol in Equine Colic Surgery. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021 May 16;10(5).
- Crosa AT, Katzman SA, Kelleher ME, Nieto JE, Kilcoyne I, Dechant JE. Incidence of incisional complications after exploratory celiotomy in equids affected with enterolithiasis. Can Vet J 2020 Oct;61(10):1085-1091.
- Scharner D, Gittel C, Winter K, Blaue D, Schedlbauer C, Vervuert I, Brehm W. Comparison of incisional complications between skin closures using a simple continuous or intradermal pattern: a pilot study in horses undergoing ventral median celiotomy. PeerJ 2018;6:e5772.
- Isgren CM, Salem SE, Townsend NB, Timofte D, Maddox TW, Archer DC. Sequential bacterial sampling of the midline incision in horses undergoing exploratory laparotomy. Equine Vet J 2019 Jan;51(1):38-44.
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