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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Surg / Evaluation of three ligatures in simulated equine open castr...
Veterinary surgery : VS2020; 49(4); 704-709; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13386

Evaluation of three ligatures in simulated equine open castration.

Abstract: To compare three surgical knots for preventing leakage from the vascular bundle during ligation in simulated equine open castrations. Methods: Randomized, case-control, in vitro study. Methods: Testes (N = 60) collected from 30 horses. Methods: Testes were collected from 30 horses and randomly assigned to one of three groups: group G (friction, giant knot), group T (modified transfixing knot), or group S (sliding, strangle knot; n = 20/group). The assigned knot was used to ligate the vascular bundle during open castration. The length of suture material used and the leak pressure of the testicular artery were measured and compared between groups. Results: Strangle knots consistently leaked at higher pressures (median, 735.5 mm Hg; interquartile range [IQR], 735.5-735.5) compared with giant (median, 441.3 mm Hg; IQR, 367.8-643.6) and transfixing (median, 419.2 mm Hg; IQR, 323.6-643.6; P < .0001) knots. Both the strangle (median, 5 cm; IQR, 4.5-5.5) and giant (median, 6 cm; IQR, 5.35-6.075) knots required less suture material compared with the transfixing (median, 9.2 cm; IQR, 8.425-10.38; P < .0001) knot. Conclusions: The three surgical knots tested withstood pressure well above physiological levels in simulated open castrations. The strangle knot withstood higher pressure and required similar (giant) or less (transfixing) suture material than the other two knots. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to support the use of a strangle knot to ligate the vascular bundle during simulated open castrations in horses.
© 2020 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
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Publication Date: 2020-01-31 PubMed ID: 32003034DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13386Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

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.

This research investigated the effectiveness of three different surgical knots used to prevent leakage from the blood vessels during simulated horse castrations. The results provided evidence to support the use of the ‘strangle knot’, as it withstood higher pressure and required similar or less suture material compared to the other two knots.

Methods

  • Testes were collected from a total of 30 horses, and each set of testes was randomly assigned to one of three groups. Each group represented one of the three surgical knots under investigation: the friction (giant) knot, the modified transfixing knot, and the sliding (strangle) knot.
  • To simulate equine castrations, the assigned surgical knot was used to ligate, or tie off, the blood vessels in the testes. This process is important in actual castrations to prevent blood leakage post-operation.
  • After the ligations, the length of suture material used, and the pressure at which the testicular artery began to leak (leak pressure), were measured in each group. These measurements were then compared across the three groups.

Results

  • It was found that the strangle knot consistently leaked at higher pressures compared to the giant knot and the transfixing knot. By withstanding higher pressures before leaking, the strangle knot demonstrates a higher degree of reliability when compared to the other knots.
  • Both the strangle knot and the giant knot required less suture material than the transfixing knot. This could potentially mean a lower cost of resources when these knots are used in actual equine castrations.

Conclusions

  • All three surgical knots tested were able to withstand pressures well above normal physiological levels. This suggests that all three knots are potentially suitable for use in actual equine castrations.
  • However, the strangle knot performed the best out of the three, as it withstood higher pressures and required similar or less suture material compared to the other knots.
  • The researchers therefore suggest that the strangle knot may be a preferable choice for ligation when performing open castrations on horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Gandini M, Comino F, Caramello V, Giusto G. (2020). Evaluation of three ligatures in simulated equine open castration. Vet Surg, 49(4), 704-709. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13386

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 49
Issue: 4
Pages: 704-709

Researcher Affiliations

Gandini, Marco
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Comino, Francesco
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Caramello, Vittorio
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Giusto, Gessica
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Horses / surgery
  • Ligation / methods
  • Ligation / veterinary
  • Male
  • Orchiectomy / methods
  • Orchiectomy / veterinary
  • Suture Techniques / veterinary
  • Sutures / statistics & numerical data
  • Sutures / veterinary

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This article includes 25 references
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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Stover BC, Caulkett NA. Anesthesia techniques used for field castration of 10 intractable horses. Can Vet J 2021 May;62(5):501-504.
    pubmed: 33967290
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