Monitoring equine visceral pain with a composite pain scale score and correlation with survival after emergency gastrointestinal surgery.

This study looks at the effectiveness of a composite pain scale (CPS) in identifying and managing pain in horses after emergency gastrointestinal surgery. The research suggests that the CPS is a reliable and objective tool for registering pain in horses, and higher pain scores correlated with complicated post-operative scenarios such as euthanasia or additional surgeries.

Research Context

• The study comes in the backdrop of significant advances in understanding and managing equine pain, but recognizes the need for improvement, particularly for horses that have undergone emergency gastrointestinal surgery.
• Correctly identifying and assessing pain in horses after surgery is essential to manage their recovery and contribute to a successful outcome. This study aims to provide an objective tool to aid this process.

Research Methodology

• The researchers performed emergency gastrointestinal surgeries on 48 horses and determined their composite pain scores at four-hour intervals over the three days following surgery.
• Pain scores were assessed using two different scales: the Composite Pain Score (CPS) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS).
• This set-up allowed the researchers to assess the reliability of the pain scales both in terms of consistency among different observers (inter-observer reliability) and correlation with survival and complications after surgery.

Key Findings

• The CPS was found to have higher reliability between different observers (inter-observer reliability) when compared with the NRS.
• Survival without complications was significantly associated with lower CPS and NRS scores, indicating that the horses with lower pain scores had better outcomes.
• Factors such as the breed of the horse or the specific location of the surgery within the intestine did not affect pain scores.

Conclusion and Implications

• The study concludes that the CPS is an effective and objective tool for scoring pain levels in horses following emergency gastrointestinal surgery.
• The CPS’s high inter-observer reliability makes it particularly useful in settings where multiple clinicians are involved in the care of a patient, allowing for more accurate and consistent pain assessment.
• Future research may aim to refine and further validate the CPS, as well as examine its use in different surgical contexts or with other animal species.