Influence of preoperative complete blood cell counts on surgical outcomes in healthy horses: 102 cases (1986-1996).
Abstract: To assess the value of CBC as a preoperative test in healthy horses undergoing cryptorchidectomy. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 117 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to identify horses that had had cryptorchidectomy. Of the 117 horses identified, 102 were found that did not have a known medical condition believed to adversely affect surgery. Preoperative CBC was assessed in terms of abnormalities detected and effects of these abnormalities on development of complications during and after surgery and patient management. Results: Of 102 CBC performed, 55 contained abnormalities. Mild neutrophilia was detected in 40 horses. Of the remaining 15 horses with abnormal CBC, 8 had abnormalities that were considered potentially important. Changes in patient management and development of surgical complications were not associated with these 8 horses. Surgical complications were defined as intraoperative changes in blood pressure, excessive blood loss, development of postanesthetic myopathies, and postoperative wound or respiratory tract infections. Surgical complications developed in 17 horses. Of these, 6 horses had an abnormal CBC that was indicative of mild neutrophilia. Positive and negative predictive values of preoperative CBC on development of perioperative complications were 0.11 and 0.77, respectively. Conclusions: On the basis of findings in our study, determination of preoperative CBC does not predict development of complications during or after surgery and does not alter patient management.
Publication Date: 1997-10-23 PubMed ID: 9333093
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.
- Journal Article
- Case Reports
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Cryptorchidism
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Equine Health
- Hematology
- Horses
- Neutrophils
- Post-Operative Period
- Preoperative Care
- Retrospective Study
- Surgery
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
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 studied the link between preoperative CBC (complete blood count) and surgery outcomes in healthy horses undergoing a specific surgery. The results suggest that preoperative CBC does not predict complications or impact patient management during or after surgery.
Research Methods and Objectives
- The aim of this study was to evaluate the worth of CBC as a preoperative test for healthy horses having a specific surgery called cryptorchidectomy (removal of a testicle that hasn’t descended).
- This was a retrospective study involving a review of 117 medical records of horses that had undergone cryptorchidectomy. Of these, 102 did not have a known medical condition that could potentially affect surgery.
- A primary interest point of the study was to observe the abnormalities detected in the preoperative CBC, and how these influenced the development of complications during and after the surgery along with alterations in patient management.
Findings of the Study
- Despite 102 CBCs being conducted, 55 contained abnormalities. Mild neutrophilia (an increase in the number of a type of white blood cell called neutrophils) was detected in 40 out of these 55 abnormal cases.
- Aside from the 40 horses displaying mild neutrophilia, 15 other horses showed abnormal CBC, 8 of which had abnormalities considered as potentially important. Despite this, these 8 cases did not end up affecting patient management or the occurrence of surgical complications.
- The surgical complications were categorized as changes in blood pressure during the surgery, extreme blood loss, the appearance of muscle problems after anesthesia, and infections of the wound or respiratory tract post-surgery. Out of the 17 horses experiencing surgical complications, 6 showed an abnormal CBC that indicated mild neutrophilia.
- The predictive values of preoperative CBC on the development of complications surrounding the operative period were discovered to be quite low—0.11 positive and 0.77 negative, respectively.
Conclusions Drawn from the Study
- The researchers concluded that preoperative CBC does not have a predictive quality in terms of the development of complications during or after the surgery.
- Additionally, the preoperative CBC does not seem to affect the management of the patient during this period, based on the findings of this study.
Cite This Article
APA
Toews AR, Campbell JR.
(1997).
Influence of preoperative complete blood cell counts on surgical outcomes in healthy horses: 102 cases (1986-1996).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 211(7), 887-888.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology, Radiology, and Surgery, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Blood Cell Count / veterinary
- Blood Pressure / physiology
- Cryptorchidism / blood
- Cryptorchidism / surgery
- Cryptorchidism / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Incidence
- Male
- Orchiectomy / veterinary
- Postoperative Complications / epidemiology
- Postoperative Complications / veterinary
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Preoperative Care / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Mitchell K, Barletta M, Quandt J, Shepard M, Kleine S, Hofmeister E. Effect of routine pre-anesthetic laboratory screening on pre-operative anesthesia-related decision-making in healthy dogs. Can Vet J 2018 Jul;59(7):773-778.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
