Inflammatory Response of Healthy Horses Subjected to Small Colon Enterotomy and Treated or Not With Heparin.
Abstract: The acute phase response is a response to injury and depends on the severity of the trauma. Heparin is routinely used for postsurgical treatment of horses to prevent abdominal adhesions; however, its effect on inflammation is unknown. This study aimed to assess systemic inflammatory response of horses subjected to small colon enterotomy and to evaluate heparin effects on postsurgical inflammation. Ten adult horses were subjected to small colon enterotomy and were assigned to a control or a treatment group. Both groups received prophylactic antibiotics and flunixin, and the treatment group received 150 IU/kg heparin subcutaneously after surgery and every 12 hours for five days. WBC counts, peritoneal fluid evaluation, determination of serum and peritoneal haptoglobin (Hp), and serum amyloid A (SAA) were performed before, 12 hours, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, and 14 days after enterotomy. Forty-eight hours after surgery, a significant increase in serum Hp was observed in the control group, and SAA concentrations increased significantly in the both groups between 24 hours, 48 hours, and 4 days after surgery. The SAA and serum Hp concentrations produced no significant differences between the groups. Peritoneal Hp increased significantly in the control group 4 days after surgery and was significantly higher in the control group than in the treated group 14 days after surgery. Serum Hp and SAA identified the acute phase response changes faster, however, were not able to identify differences between groups. Peritoneal Hp concentrations identified inflammatory differences between the groups 14 days after surgery; the difference suggests that heparin may act decreasing inflammation.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020-03-17 PubMed ID: 32534768DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102989Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article focuses on the inflammatory response of healthy horses after a surgical procedure known as small colon enterotomy, and whether treatment with heparin can affect this inflammation. It was found that while inflammation indicators increased after surgery, the effect of heparin on inflammation appears to be limited.
About the Study
- The study involved ten adult horses, all of which underwent a small colon enterotomy, a surgical procedure to access and repair the horse’s internal organs.
- Horses were divided into two groups, a control group that did not receive anything beyond standard post-operative care, and a treatment group that was given 150 IU/kg of heparin subcutaneously after surgery and at 12-hour intervals for five days.
Main Findings
- Following surgery, increases in serum haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), both markers of inflammation, were detected in both groups.
- However, while concentrations of these markers increased significantly, their levels appeared to be unaffected by whether or not the horses received heparin treatment, indicating that heparin didn’t significantly change the inflammatory response at the systemic level.
- In terms of peritoneal inflammation, which relates specifically to inflammation of the lining of the horse’s abdominal cavity, Hp levels increased significantly in the control group.
- Fourteen days after surgery, the control group had substantially higher peritoneal Hp levels compared to the treatment group, suggesting heparin may have had an impact on reducing inflammation in the abdominal cavity.
Implications
- The study’s findings suggest that heparin, despite its common use in preventing post-surgical complications, may not significantly impact the systemic inflammatory response in horses after small colon enterotomy surgery.
- However, it appears to make a difference in relation to peritoneal inflammation, potentially reducing such inflammation when administered after surgery on a routine basis.
- This could offer new insights for veterinary professionals in managing post-operative inflammation in horses, possibly leading to changes in standard treatment protocols.
Cite This Article
APA
Alonso JM, Schmidt EMS, Eckersall PD, Kjelgaard-Hansen M, Alves ALG, Rodrigues CA, Watanabe MJ, Crescencio AP, Hussni CA.
(2020).
Inflammatory Response of Healthy Horses Subjected to Small Colon Enterotomy and Treated or Not With Heparin.
J Equine Vet Sci, 90, 102989.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102989 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Veterinary Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: carlos.hussni@unesp.br.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Colon / surgery
- Haptoglobins
- Heparin
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Serum Amyloid A Protein
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