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Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2004; 45(1-2); 109-118; doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-45-109

Evaluation of clinical and laboratory variables as prognostic indicators in hospitalised gastrointestinal colic horses.

Abstract: The present prospective study included 106 horses referred to the Department of Large Animal Sciences, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, as non-responders to the initial colic treatment in general practise. In 14 of these cases a required surgical treatment was not performed due to economical or other reasons and were excluded from the study. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained at the arrival in the hospital. The outcome for all analyses was survival/ non-survival. A multivariable logistic regression was performed. The analyses were used in medically (46 horses) and surgically treated cases (46 horses) separately. The same analyses were also run for all 92 horses in a simulated "field" situation, where only clinical variables and D-dimer values were included. The fraction of survivors was 78% in the medical and 48% in the surgical cases. In total 63% of the horses survived. In the final multivariable logistic regression model packed cell volume (PCV) was the only important predictor for medically treated cases, and heart rate and presence of hyperaemic or cyanotic mucous membranes were the predictors in the surgically treated cases as well as in the simulated "field" situation. In conclusion, traditional variables as heart rate, mucous membranes and PCV were the important predictors for the outcome in hospitalised colic cases.
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Publication Date: 2004-11-13 PubMed ID: 15535091PubMed Central: PMC1820986DOI: 10.1186/1751-0147-45-109Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article presents a study on the effectiveness of various clinical indicators for predicting the survival rate in horses suffering from gastrointestinal colic, a common equine medical issue. In the study, certain factors including heart rate and packed cell volume (PCV) were identified as important predictors in determining whether a horse will survive or not.

Research Methodology

  • The study was a prospective study where the subjects, in this case, horses, were followed over time to collect data.
  • A total of 106 horses were initially included in the study. These horses were referred to the Department of Large Animal Sciences, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, due to their non-response to initial colic treatment.
  • 14 of these horses were excluded from the study because they were not treated surgically due to factors such as economic reasons.
  • Clinical and laboratory data were gathered upon the horses’ arrival at the hospital.
  • The main outcome measure was whether the horses survived or not. Survival and non-survival rates were recorded and compared.
  • A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on the data. This statistical method is used to examine the relationship between a dependent variable and several independent variables.
  • The analysis was done separately for horses that were treated medically (46 horses) and those that were treated surgically (46 horses).
  • The researchers also performed the same analysis simulating a “field” situation where only clinical variables and D-dimer values were taken into account.

Results and Findings

  • 78% of horses treated medically survived while the survival rate for surgically treated horses was 48%. Overall, the survival rate for the entire study population was 63%.
  • In medically treated cases, the packed cell volume (PCV) was found to be the most critical predictor of survival. PCV is a measurement of the proportion of blood that is made up of cells, and a higher PCV often indicates dehydration or other medical issues.
  • For the horses that underwent surgical treatment, the important predictors were heart rate and the presence of hyperaemic or cyanotic mucous membranes. Hyperaemia refers to an excess of blood in the vessels supplying an organ or other part of the body, and cyanotic refers to a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes, indicating a lack of oxygen in the blood.
  • The same predictors were relevant in the simulated “field” situation.

Conclusion

  • The results of the study show that traditional clinical variables such as heart rate, mucous membranes, and PCV were significant predictors of the outcome in hospitalised colic cases.

Cite This Article

APA
Ihler CF, Venger JL, Skjerve E. (2004). Evaluation of clinical and laboratory variables as prognostic indicators in hospitalised gastrointestinal colic horses. Acta Vet Scand, 45(1-2), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-45-109

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 0044-605X
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 45
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 109-118

Researcher Affiliations

Ihler, Carl F
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway. carl.f.ihler@veths.no
Venger, Jostein Larsen
    Skjerve, Eystein

      MeSH Terms

      • Animals
      • Blood Cell Count / veterinary
      • Colic / diagnosis
      • Colic / epidemiology
      • Colic / veterinary
      • Female
      • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
      • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
      • Horse Diseases / etiology
      • Horse Diseases / mortality
      • Horse Diseases / therapy
      • Horses
      • Hospitalization
      • Logistic Models
      • Male
      • Norway / epidemiology
      • Predictive Value of Tests
      • Prognosis
      • Prospective Studies
      • ROC Curve
      • Sensitivity and Specificity

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      Citations

      This article has been cited 10 times.
      1. Cummings CO, Krucik DDR, Price E. Clinical predictive models in equine medicine: A systematic review. Equine Vet J 2023 Jul;55(4):573-583.
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        doi: 10.1186/s42523-019-0013-3pubmed: 33499951google scholar: lookup
      3. Kopper JJ, Kogan CJ, Cook VL, Schott HC 2nd. Outcome of horses with enterocolitis receiving oncotic fluid support with either plasma or hetastarch. Can Vet J 2019 Nov;60(11):1207-1212.
        pubmed: 31692633
      4. Curtis L, Burford JH, Thomas JS, Curran ML, Bayes TC, England GC, Freeman SL. Prospective study of the primary evaluation of 1016 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain by veterinary practitioners, and the differentiation of critical and non-critical cases. Acta Vet Scand 2015 Oct 6;57:69.
        doi: 10.1186/s13028-015-0160-9pubmed: 26444675google scholar: lookup
      5. Wormstrand BH, Ihler CF, Diesen R, Krontveit RI. Surgical treatment of equine colic - a retrospective study of 297 surgeries in Norway 2005-2011. Acta Vet Scand 2014 Jun 16;56(1):38.
        doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-56-38pubmed: 24934123google scholar: lookup
      6. Edner AH, Essén-Gustavsson B, Nyman GC. Metabolism during anaesthesia and recovery in colic and healthy horses: a microdialysis study. Acta Vet Scand 2009 Mar 10;51(1):10.
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      9. Mickevičienė I, Mikalauskienė D, Miknienė Z. The prognostic importance of physiological and biochemical parameters in horses afflicted with colic. Open Vet J 2024 Aug;14(8):1801-1807.
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      10. Benedetti B, Freccero F, Barton J, Elmallah F, Refat S, Padalino B. A Retrospective Study on the Status of Working Equids Admitted to an Equine Clinic in Cairo: Disease Prevalence and Associations between Physical Parameters and Outcome. Animals (Basel) 2024 Mar 6;14(5).
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