FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Equine Vet J / Fifty years of colic surgery.
Equine veterinary journal2018; 50(4); 423-435; doi: 10.1111/evj.12817

Fifty years of colic surgery.

Abstract: Colic surgery is one of few treatments in which a veterinarian can use a skill to save an animal's life from a deadly disease within a short timeframe. Unfortunately, such success is not achieved without considerable risk for surgical failure, which is responsible for most complications in the immediate post-operative period. The last 50 years have witnessed considerable improvements in colic surgery, although a ranking of the most important ones might not meet with universal agreement. Teamwork plays a critical role in the final outcome, starting and finishing with the referring veterinarian and owner. These individuals are responsible for promptly transferring the horse to a surgical facility and then dealing with aftercare and delayed complications. The surgeon is responsible for the intervening steps, including the decision on the need for surgery, and works with the anaesthesiologist to help a metabolically challenged patient to tolerate surgery and anaesthesia. Although early referral and improved diagnostic procedures can have a positive influence on survival, perceived improvements in surgery and anaesthesia need to be reviewed with some circumspection. Although more rigorous definitions and statistical analyses used in recent studies can invalidate comparisons with older studies, complication rates appear to be on the rise, despite putative improvements in dealing with them. This trend tends to diminish the value of colic surgery through increasing costs, overreliance on post-operative pharmacological management, growing pessimism, high rates of intraoperative euthanasia, and possibly reduced long-term survival. Future efforts should address these concerns, mostly through emphasis on prompt referral, good surgical technique and reducing the cost of colic surgery to an affordable level that saves more lives.
© 2018 EVJ Ltd.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2018-03-12 PubMed ID: 29405434DOI: 10.1111/evj.12817Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Historical Article
  • Journal Article
  • Review

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 discusses the evolution of colic surgery over the past half-century, the role of different stakeholders in achieving successful outcomes, the observed rise in complication rates, and the areas that need improvement for increased survival and quality of life for equine patients.

Evolution of Colic Surgery

  • The article begins with a brief review of colic surgery’s progression and elaborates on the critical role of different stakeholders in ensuring positive outcomes. Over the last 50 years, colic surgery has undergone significant improvements, even though ranking these advancements might not always meet with universal agreement.

Role of Stakeholders

  • In the process of colic surgery, the role of a collaborative team is emphasized. This team includes the referring veterinarian and the horse owner, who are responsible for promptly transferring the horse to the surgical unit and later overseeing aftercare.
  • The surgeon plays a critical role in determining the need for surgery and collaborating with the anesthesiologist to ensure the patient can safely undergo the entire surgical procedure.

Increased Complication Rates

  • Notwithstanding the advancements, the article then focuses on a concerning trend: the rise in post-operative complication rates in recent years. Despite more precise definitions and statistical analyses available now, it seems that complication rates are increasing over time.
  • This puts into question the perceived improvements in surgical and anaesthetic methods.

Concerns and Future Direction

  • The rise in complications subsequently exacerbates issues like high costs, excessive reliance on post-operative medicinal management, increased apprehension, high rates of euthanasia during operations, and potentially reduced long-term survival rates for horses.
  • The article concludes by suggesting that future strategies should aim at addressing these concerns. This can be done through immediate referrals, applying good surgical techniques, and reducing the cost of colic surgeries to a more affordable level, consequently saving more lives.

Cite This Article

APA
Freeman DE. (2018). Fifty years of colic surgery. Equine Vet J, 50(4), 423-435. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12817

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 50
Issue: 4
Pages: 423-435

Researcher Affiliations

Freeman, D E
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Colic / surgery
  • Digestive System Surgical Procedures / history
  • Digestive System Surgical Procedures / methods
  • Digestive System Surgical Procedures / veterinary
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Horse Diseases / surgery
  • Horses

Citations

This article has been cited 15 times.
  1. Arantes JA, Borges AS, Zakia LS, Surette MG, Weese JS, Costa MC, Arroyo LG. Effect of dietary iron supplementation on the equine fecal microbiome. Can J Vet Res 2023 Apr;87(2):97-104.
    pubmed: 37020575
  2. Spadari A, Gialletti R, Gandini M, Valle E, Cerullo A, Cavallini D, Bertoletti A, Rinnovati R, Forni G, Scilimati N, Giusto G. Short-Term Survival and Postoperative Complications Rates in Horses Undergoing Colic Surgery: A Multicentre Study. Animals (Basel) 2023 Mar 20;13(6).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13061107pubmed: 36978647google scholar: lookup
  3. Dória RGS, Reginato GM, Hayasaka YB, Fantinato Neto P, Passarelli D, Arantes JA. Complications following transcutaneous cecal trocarization in horses with a cattle trocar and a cecal needle. PLoS One 2022;17(11):e0277468.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277468pubmed: 36417417google scholar: lookup
  4. Straticò P, Varasano V, Palozzo A, Guerri G, Celani G, Revelant O, Petrizzi L. Retrospective Study on Risk Factors and Short-Term Outcome of Horses Referred for Colic from 2016 to 2022. Vet Sci 2022 Oct 3;9(10).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci9100545pubmed: 36288158google scholar: lookup
  5. Iglesias-García M, Rodríguez Hurtado I, Ortiz-Díez G, De la Calle Del Barrio J, Fernández Pérez C, Gómez Lucas R. Predictive Models for Equine Emergency Exploratory Laparotomy in Spain: Pre-, Intra-, and Post-Operative-Mortality-Associated Factors. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 27;12(11).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12111375pubmed: 35681838google scholar: lookup
  6. Bishop RC, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Stewart MC, McCoy AM. Performance of predictive models of survival in horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy for colic. Vet Surg 2022 Aug;51(6):891-902.
    doi: 10.1111/vsu.13839pubmed: 35674231google scholar: lookup
  7. Dybkjær E, Steffensen KF, Honoré ML, Dinesen MA, Christophersen MT, Pihl TH. Short-term survival rates of 1397 horses referred for colic from 2010 to 2018. Acta Vet Scand 2022 May 7;64(1):11.
    doi: 10.1186/s13028-022-00631-4pubmed: 35526044google scholar: lookup
  8. Hellstrom EA, Ziegler AL, Blikslager AT. Postoperative Ileus: Comparative Pathophysiology and Future Therapies. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:714800.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.714800pubmed: 34589533google scholar: lookup
  9. Unterköfler MS, McGorum BC, Milne EM, Licka TF. Establishment of a model for equine small intestinal disease: effects of extracorporeal blood perfusion of equine ileum on metabolic variables and histological morphology - an experimental ex vivo study. BMC Vet Res 2019 Nov 8;15(1):400.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-2145-9pubmed: 31703590google scholar: lookup
  10. Needles RK, Dubois MS. Surgical treatment of persistent colic in a horse caused by an anomalous vascularized fibrous band. Can Vet J 2019 Sep;60(9):991-994.
    pubmed: 31523088
  11. Bohlin A, Saegerman C, Hoeberg E, Sånge A, Nostell K, Durie I, Husted L, Öhman A, van Galen G. Evaluation of the foal survival score in a Danish-Swedish population of neonatal foals upon hospital admission. J Vet Intern Med 2019 May;33(3):1507-1513.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.15487pubmed: 31004404google scholar: lookup
  12. Elane GL, Blikslager AT, Mair TS. Trends in the management of horses referred for colic evaluation preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2013-2023). Equine Vet Educ 2025 Jun;37(6):308-315.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.14038pubmed: 40599687google scholar: lookup
  13. 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.
    doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i8.8pubmed: 39308735google scholar: lookup
  14. Giusto G, Gandini M. Return of showjumping horses to sporting activity after colic surgery. Equine Vet J 2025 May;57(3):629-635.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14407pubmed: 39205448google scholar: lookup
  15. Matthews LB, Sanz M, Sellon DC. Long-term outcome after colic surgery: retrospective study of 106 horses in the USA (2014-2021). Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1235198.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1235198pubmed: 37859945google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,107 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.