Evaluation of risk factors, including fluconazole administration, for prolonged anesthetic recovery times in horses undergoing general anesthesia for ocular surgery: 81 cases (2006-2013).

The research study looks into the factors that contribute to the longer recovery period in horses post-general anesthesia used for ocular surgery. The key discovery of the research points out that the administration of fluconazole, a kind of drug, results in an extended recovery duration, especially when used along with ketamine and midazolam.

Study Design and Participants

• The research is a retrospective cohort study involving 81 horses that have undergone general anesthesia for ocular surgery during 2006 to 2013.
• The horses included in the research were divided based on whether they were treated with fluconazole during the procedure or not, or whether they underwent anesthesia with or without midazolam.

Procedures

• The details recorded for each horse included the type of surgical procedure performed, the concurrent use of fluconazole, the analgesic and anesthetic agents administered, the duration of the treatment, the use of sedation for recovery, and the recovery time itself.
• These pieces of information were then analyzed to find potential connections or associations with the recovery times observed in the horses.

Results

• The research identified 72 horses in which anesthesia was induced with the combination of ketamine and midazolam. It was found that 16 of these horses, which had been treated with fluconazole, showed a significantly longer average recovery time as compared to the horses that were not treated with the drug.
• For the remaining 9 horses, where the anesthesia protocol included ketamine but not midazolam, there was no significant difference recorded in the average recovery times between horses that received fluconazole or not.
• Furthermore, the duration of anesthesia and the use of acepromazine as a premedication were also identified as risk factors that could potentially lead to longer recovery times in horses post-ocular surgery.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

• The study concluded that the administration of fluconazole was positively linked with extended anesthetic recovery periods in horses. This was particularly observed when ketamine and midazolam were employed for inducing anesthesia during ocular surgery.
• The duration of anesthesia and the premedication substance acepromazine were also found as crucial risk factors for extended recovery times. These findings will be of clinical relevance in planning and managing anesthetic procedures in horses undergoing ocular surgery.