Equine colic outcomes and prognostic factors at a South African academic hospital (2019-2021).

This research evaluates the survival rates and factors that predict outcomes in equine colic cases at a South African academic hospital, finding that survival rates are similar to international data and have improved at the institution, mainly due to better surgical outcomes.

Objectives and Methods of the Study

• With colic being a commonplace equine emergency demanding medicinal or surgical procedures which are costly, the paper sets out to assess survival rates and prognostic indicators in equine colic cases at a South African veterinary referral hospital (Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital, OVAH).
• This retrospective observational cohort study sifted through records from January 2019 to August 2021 of horses with colic that were treated at OVAH.
• The gathered data included horse signalment (data providing detail about an individual horse), admission heart rate (HR) including packed cell volume (PCV), the treatment type (medical versus surgical), surgical diagnosis, postoperative complications, and survival to discharge.

Key Findings

• Out of 415 cases presented, 375 were treated of which 292 were treated medically, and 83 cases were treated surgically.
• The survival rate was 91% for medically treated cases, 77% for surgically treated cases, and an overall survival of 88%.
• Compared to an earlier study, the overall survival rate improved by 5%, primarily due to improved surgical procedures.
• Survival was correlated with the type of treatment and the location of the surgical lesion, with survival rates lower for small intestinal than large intestinal lesions.
• For cases treated medically, an increase in HR led to lower survival rates. Likewise, surgical cases with a high PCV showed lower survival rates.
• Signalment exhibited no correlation with outcomes.

Conclusions and Implications

• Survival rates were found to be comparable to those previously reported in international studies and displayed a significant improvement compared to earlier data from the same institution, primarily due to improvements in surgical outcomes.
• The findings of this study can aid veterinarians in making referral and treatment decisions for equine colic cases.
• However, the study underlines the need for further research on long-term survival and exploration of additional prognostic indicators to improve the prediction of outcomes in equine colic treatments.