Effect of arthroscopic lavage and repeated intra-articular administrations of antibiotic in adult horses and foals with septic arthritis.

The study evaluates the effectiveness of arthroscopic lavage with repeated administration of antibiotics in treating adult horses and foals suffering from septic arthritis. The results reveal that the procedure reduces synovial nucleated cell counts and total protein concentrations; however, its efficacy as a monitoring tool during treatment is limited.

Objective of the Research

• The research aimed to investigate the impact of arthroscopic cleaning (lavage) and repeated intra-articular administrations of antibiotic in treating septic arthritis in adult horses and foals.
• The goal was to determine whether this treatment strategy could lead to improvements in various markers of septic arthritis such as synovial nucleated cell counts, total protein concentrations, and percentages of neutrophils.

Methods Used

• 62 adult horses and foals suffering from septic arthritis participated in the study.
• The researchers performed arthroscopic lavage on day zero (D 0) of the study. They also collected synovial fluid every 48 hours until the animals were discharged from the hospital.
• The investigators analyzed the synovial nucleated cell count, total protein, and the percentage of neutrophils at various time intervals and compared these values between subjects with favorable and unfavorable outcomes.

Findings of the Study

• Arthroscopic lavage and repeated intra-articular antibiotic administration led to a steady decline in synovial nucleated cell counts compared to the initial readings on day 0.
• The proportion of neutrophils in the synovial fluid decreased at days 8 and 10 only, while total protein content went down progressively at days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 14.
• In comparison between horses and foals with favorable and unfavorable outcomes, the nucleated cell count was lower at days 10, 12, and 14 and the percentage of neutrophils was lower at day 4 only for those with a favorable outcome. However, there was no significant difference in total protein content between both groups.

Conclusions

• Arthroscopic lavage along with repeated intra-articular administration of antibiotic reduced the synovial nucleated cell counts and total protein levels in horses and foals with septic arthritis.
• However, the use of synovial nucleated cell count as a monitoring tool during treatment had limited effectiveness, indicating the need for additional strategies or measures to better monitor the progress of septic arthritis treatment in horses and foals.