Effect of water vapor-saturated air therapy on bronchoalveolar lavage and tracheal mucus transport rate in clinically normal horses.

This study researched the impact of water vapor-saturated air therapy on certain aspects of respiratory health in horses and found that it did not alter tracheal mucus transport rate, bronchoalveolar lavage cell counts, blood cell counts, or plasma fibrinogen concentration.

Research Methodology

• The study was conducted on 12 healthy horses that were kept in a stable environment.
• The treatment regimen consisted of delivering water vapor-saturated air to the horses for two hours every day over a period of five days.
• The parameters evaluated were tracheal mucus transport rate, bronchoalveolar lavage total and differential cell counts, blood cell counts, and plasma fibrinogen concentration.

Research Findings

• The therapy of water vapor-saturated air showed no effect on the tracheal mucus transport rate. This implies that the therapy did not alter the natural process by which the respiratory system of the horses expels mucus and potentially harmful particles from the trachea.
• Moreover, there were no observed changes in the bronchoalveolar lavage total and differential cell counts. Thus, indicating that this treatment did not affect the cellular components of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which is a common indicator of lung health.
• The study also reported no significant changes in blood cell counts, which suggests that the therapy does not impact the overall hematological health of the horses.
• The plasma fibrinogen concentration remained unchanged, indicating the therapy did not affect this blood-clotting protein in the horses’ plasma.

Conclusions

• The research concludes that water vapor-saturated air therapy does not impact the tracheal mucus transport rate, bronchoalveolar lavage total and differential cell counts, blood cell counts, or plasma fibrinogen concentration in healthy, housed horses.
• These findings imply that this therapy may not have any pronounced effect on the respiratory or hematological health of the horses. However, it needs to be noted that the study was limited to healthy horses and further studies may be required to assess effects in horses with respiratory or other health conditions.