Fibrinolytic activity in plasma from horses with gastrointestinal diseases: changes associated with diagnosis, surgery, and outcome.
Abstract: Plasma fibrinolytic activity was evaluated over 5 consecutive days in 59 horses admitted to the Large Animal Teaching Hospital with acute gastrointestinal diseases. Only horses hospitalized for at least 5 days were included in the study. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) were quantitated using standard chromogenic activity assays. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance; differences were considered significant when P < or = .05. Activity of PAI-1, the primary endogenous inhibitor of fibrinolysis, was significantly increased on hospital days 2, 4, and 5 in horses that died, when compared with those that were discharged from the hospital. Plasma PAI-1 activity was not different at admission, but was significantly increased on hospital days 2 and 3 in horses that underwent surgery, when compared with those that did not, suggesting an acute phase response to surgical intervention. Horses with strangulating intestinal lesions had significantly increased PAI-1 activity on day 3, while PAI-1 activity was significantly greater in horses with inflammatory conditions at the time of admission, when compared with horses with strangulating or nonstrangulating/noninflammatory lesions. Among all horses, PAI-1 activity was significantly higher and tPA activity was significantly lower on day 2 when compared with other hospital days. These results suggest that fibrinolysis is inhibited early in the course of inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases and in response to surgery. In addition, among all horses, the prognosis for survival was poor for those with persistently increased PAI-1 activity, reflecting treatment failure and the loss of hemostatic regulation.
Publication Date: 1995-01-01 PubMed ID: 7891358DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.1995.tb03267.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article studies changes in blood-clot breakdown (fibrinolytic) activity in horses suffering from acute gastrointestinal diseases. Researchers observed these activities over five days and found that horses with persistently increased levels of a specific clotting inhibitor (PAI-1) had a poorer survival prognosis.
Study Setup
- The research was conducted on 59 horses suffering from acute gastrointestinal diseases admitted to the Large Animal Teaching Hospital over five consecutive days.
- To ensure consistency, only horses that remained hospitalized for at least five days were included in the study.
- Two key enzymes related to fibrinolysis, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), were quantified using standard chromogenic activity assays.
Impact of Disease and Surgical Intervention
- Researchers found that PAI-1 activity, the key enzyme that inhibits fibrinolysis, was significantly higher on days 2, 4, and 5 in horses that died, compared to those that were discharged from the hospital.
- They also noted that horses which had undergone surgery had higher PAI-1 activity on days 2 and 3 compared to those that did not, indicating a response to surgical intervention.
- Horses with strangulating intestinal lesions displayed higher PAI-1 activity on the third day, while horses with inflammatory conditions had higher PAI-1 activity at the time of admission compared to those with other types of lesions.
Prognostic Insights
- A significant finding of the study is the potential use of PAI-1 activity as a prognostic tool. Across all horses, those with persistently increased PAI-1 activity had a poorer prognosis for survival. This implies failure of treatment and loss of control over blood clotting.
- In all horses, they observed higher PAI-1 and lower tPA activity on the second day, compared to the rest of the hospital stay. This suggests that fibrinolysis inhibition occurs early in the course of gastrointestinal diseases and in response to surgery.
Concluding Insights
- The results of this study are pivotal as they provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of acute gastrointestinal diseases in horses.
- Furthermore, they also indicate potential clinical markers like PAI-1 and tPA activity that could assist in the prognosis, treatment planning and disease progress monitoring in horses with gastrointestinal afflictions.
Cite This Article
APA
Collatos C, Barton MH, Moore JN.
(1995).
Fibrinolytic activity in plasma from horses with gastrointestinal diseases: changes associated with diagnosis, surgery, and outcome.
J Vet Intern Med, 9(1), 18-23.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.1995.tb03267.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens.
MeSH Terms
- Acute Disease
- Animals
- Fibrinolysis / physiology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / blood
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / diagnosis
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / surgery
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / blood
- Prognosis
- Survival Rate
- Tissue Plasminogen Activator / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Ludwig EK, Hobbs KJ, McKinney-Aguirre CA, Gonzalez LM. Biomarkers of Intestinal Injury in Colic. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 7;13(2).
- Barton AK, Wirth C, Bondzio A, Einspanier R, Gehlen H. Are pulmonary hemostasis and fibrinolysis out of balance in equine chronic pneumopathies?. J Vet Sci 2017 Sep 30;18(3):349-357.
- Milner PI, Bardell D. Can Arterial Blood Gas, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Analysis at Admission be Used to Predict Survival to Hospital Discharge for Different Causes of Colic?. Vet Med Sci 2025 Mar;11(2):e70210.
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