Occurrence of incisional complications and associated risk factors using a right ventral paramedian celiotomy incision in 159 horses.

The research article is about a study on the frequency and risk factors connected with incisional complications in horses after right ventral paramedian celiotomy surgery.

Research Methods

• The research was conducted as a case series where 159 horses that survived at least 30 days after surgery at a private equine hospital between 2003 and 2007 were studied.
• The occurrence of incisional complications after the right ventral paramedian celiotomy was investigated.
• The study followed up on 121 horses 90 days after surgery.
• Both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the variables associated with incisional complications after celiotomy.

Research Results

• The study found that one or more incisional complications occurred in 16.8% (27 out of 161) celiotomies during hospitalization and/or after discharge.
• The complications included drainage (15.5%), skin dehiscence (3.7%), noticeable cutaneous scarring (1.9%), and herniation (0.6%).
• The research identified several variables significantly associated with incisional complications. These were Quarter horse-type breed with odds ratio (OR) of 3.9, use of an abdominal bandage with an OR of 9.5, and more than four postoperative febrile days (>38.3°C) with an OR of 12.9.

Conclusions

• The overall occurrence of incisional complications after right paramedian ventral celiotomy compared favorably to those reported for ventral median celiotomies – the more common surgical procedure.
• The study pointed out that several variables were associated with the occurrence of incisional complications, but were not necessarily predictive. This means while these variables (such as breed, use of bandage, etc.) correlated with an increased risk of complications, they do not necessarily cause these complications.