Evaluation of heparin for prophylaxis of equine laminitis: 71 cases (1980-1986).

The research article reviews medical records of 71 horses with small intestinal disorders and compares the occurrences of laminitis (a disease in the hooves) in horses that were preventively treated with heparin and those which were not. The research suggests that heparin does not significantly prevent laminitis, indicating the need for further research within the equine coagulation system.

Objectives and Methodology of the Study

• The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of heparin in preventing laminitis in horses diagnosed with small intestinal disorders who needed surgical correction.
• Medical records of 71 horses diagnosed with small intestinal disorders were selected and reviewed for this study.
• The researchers created two groups out of these subjects – one group comprised of horses that were prophylactically treated with heparin, and the other composed of those that weren’t.

Results of the Study

• The researchers found that the prevalence of laminitis among the 71 horses was 13%, which was not significantly different for the two groups.
• This suggests that the administration of prophylactic heparin did not materially affect the occurrence of laminitis among the studied horses, despite their requiring surgical correction for small intestinal disorders.
• The statistical significance was set at P less than 0.05. In this context, P-value is a measure of statistical significance and a smaller P-value (less than 0.05) indicates that the findings of the study are not due to chance.

Conclusions and Implications of the Study

• The lack of any substantial benefit from administering prophylactic heparin as a preventive measure against laminitis points towards the need for additional research.
• Specifically, this need is recognized within the broader study of the equine coagulation system.
• Until further research and conclusions are reached, heparin cannot be advocated as a proven method for preventing laminitis in horses, especially those with small intestinal disorders.