Effects of exploratory laparotomy on plasma and peritoneal coagulation/fibrinolysis in horses.

The research investigates how exploratory laparotomy, a surgical procedure, affects blood coagulation/fibrinolysis in horses. The study finds that the surgery significantly increases certain blood components related to clotting and breakdown of clots in the sampled horses compared to control horses.

Research Method

• Plasma and peritoneal fluid samples were taken from 6 horses before and after undergoing a ventral midline exploratory laparotomy, a type of abdominal surgical procedure.
• In addition, samples were also collected from another 6 horses, which served as controls and were merely anesthetized but did not undergo surgery.
• The main investigation revolved around the measuring of coagulation/fibrinolytic components in the plasma and peritoneal fluid collected.
• The primary components of interest included antithrombin III, alpha-2 antiplasmin, plasminogen, protein C, fibrinogen, and fibrin degradation products.

Research Findings

• The research discovered that antithrombin III, fibrin degradation products, and plasminogen in the peritoneal fluid were significantly increased after surgery in the horses that underwent the surgical procedure.
• The levels of these components were also found to be significantly higher in the postoperative horses, when compared with the control horses, at various hours post-surgery.
• However, there were no significant changes noted in the fibrinogen concentration in the peritoneal fluid.
• Another noteworthy observation was a significant decrease in plasma plasminogen activity in the primary horses, when compared to the controls, 24 hours post-surgery.
• Apart from this, there were only minor changes in the remaining plasma coagulation/fibrinolytic components in the horses which underwent surgery.
• The control horses, which were anesthetized but did not undergo surgery, did not display any changes in plasma and peritoneal fluid values.

Conclusion

• This research suggests that ventral midline exploratory laparotomy in horses has a notable impact on coagulation/fibrinolysis.
• The findings indicate that the surgery escalates certain clotting and clot breakdown related components in the horses’ blood.
• Such findings underscore the necessity for further research to understand the effects of such surgical procedures on the clotting mechanisms in horses and possibly, other animals.