Effect of Nasogastric Tube Placement, Manipulation, and Fluid Administration on Transcutaneous Ultrasound Visualization and Assessment of Stomach Position in Healthy Unfed and Fed Horses.
Abstract: Knowledge of the effects of feeding and nasogastric tube placement and manipulation on gastric ultrasound is limited. Given the variability in duration since feeding and the ubiquitous use of nasogastric tubes in horses with colic, the interpretation of gastric ultrasound in horses with colic requires an understanding of these effects. Cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral ultrasonographic dimensions of the stomach were obtained in 10 unfed horses and five fed horses, before and after nasogastric tube placement, after checking for reflux and after administration of 6 L of water in unfed horses. Fed horses' stomachs were larger in both cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral dimension than unfed horses. Nasogastric intubation and the administration of water increased ultrasonographic gastric dimensions in fed and unfed horses. Checking for reflux did not consistently decrease ultrasonographic gastric dimension in fed or unfed horses. Fluid was consistently identified in the stomach with ultrasound after 6 L of water. Increases in gastric ultrasound dimensions found in horses that have been recently fed and/or had a nasogastric tube placed can occur without pathologic gastric distension related to colic and should be interpreted in this context. In contrast, the identification of fluid in the stomach on ultrasound occurs consistently with fluid administration and may be more useful than standard ultrasound parameters of gastric dimensions to identify horses with colic likely to have significant gastric reflux.
Publication Date: 2022-12-06 PubMed ID: 36496953PubMed Central: PMC9739480DOI: 10.3390/ani12233433Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research looks into understanding the effects of feeding, nasogastric tube usage, and manipulation on gastric ultrasound in horses. It studies these factors’ influence on ultrasonographic dimensions of the stomach in both fed and unfed horses, thereby providing valuable insights for interpreting gastric ultrasound for horses diagnosed with colic.
Objective and Methodology
- The objective of this study is to enhance the understanding of the effects of feeding, nasogastric tube placement, and its manipulation on gastric ultrasound.
- The experimentation involved measurements of cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral ultrasonographic dimensions of the stomach.
- The procedure was carried out on ten unfed horses and five fed horses, both before and after the placement of a nasogastric tube.
- Further assessment was done after checking for reflux and subsequent administration of 6L water in unfed horses.
Observations and Findings
- The study observed that the stomachs of the fed horses were larger in both dimensions compared to those of the unfed horses.
- The nasogastric intubation and the administration of water resulted in an increase in ultrasonographic gastric dimensions in both sets of horses.
- Checking for reflux did not consistently decrease the ultrasonographic gastric dimension in either set of horses.
- Post the administration of 6L water, fluid was consistently identified in the stomach with the ultrasound.
Conclusions and Implications
- The conclusion drawn from the study is that the increase in gastric ultrasound dimensions in horses recently fed or had a nasogastric tube placed can happen without pathological gastric distension related to colic. This observation should therefore be interpreted accordingly.
- Contrarily, the identification of fluid in the stomach consistently via ultrasound after fluid administration could be more useful than the standard ultrasound parameters of gastric dimensions.
- This could be particularly handy in identifying horses with colic likely to have significant gastric reflux.
- These insights can influence the accuracy of diagnosing horses with colic using gastric ultrasound techniques, thereby contributing to their medical management.
Cite This Article
APA
Epstein KL, Hall MD.
(2022).
Effect of Nasogastric Tube Placement, Manipulation, and Fluid Administration on Transcutaneous Ultrasound Visualization and Assessment of Stomach Position in Healthy Unfed and Fed Horses.
Animals (Basel), 12(23), 3433.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233433 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA.
- Bain and Company, London WC2N 5RW, UK.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Talbot SE, Tallon R, Dunkel B. Clinical presentation and outcome of gastric impactions with or without concurrent intestinal lesions in horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jul-Aug;37(4):1544-1551.
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