Plasma transfusions in horses with typhlocolitis/colitis.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research evaluated the efficacy of treatment involving transfusion of plasma in horses suffering from typhlocolitis/colitis. It concluded that horses having received plasma transfusion were more likely to die than those that did not receive such treatment, hence questioning its clinical usefulness for hospitalised hypoproteinemic horses.
Introduction
Typhlocolitis or colitis in horses is an inflammation of the cecum and colon resulting in severe diarrhea. In an attempt to treat this condition, plasma transfusions are administered, particularly to hypoproteinemic horses, i.e., horses with low protein levels in the blood. The Ontario Veterinary College – Health Sciences Centre conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of this treatment.
Methods
The study involved monitoring horses with this affliction, some of whom received a plasma transfusion while others did not.
- The horses’ conditions, response to treatment, and survival rates were documented and analyzed.
- The comparison sought to understand the correlation between the treatment and the survival odds of the horses.
Results
The results of the study showed unfavorable outcomes for the horses having undergone plasma transfusion.
- Horses that received plasma transfusion were found to have higher odds of dying than their non-transfused counterparts.
- This outcome poses significant concerns about the clinical usefulness of plasma transfusion in the treatment of colitis or typhlocolitis, especially in hypoproteinemic horses.
Implications
- The results of this study call into question the conventional wisdom concerning the effectiveness of plasma transfusion in treating typhlocolitis or colitis in horses.
- It emphasizes the need for reconsideration and further research regarding this treatment approach to improve the prognosis for horses suffering from these conditions.
- The findings underscore the importance of evidence-based treatments in veterinary medicine to promote animal health and welfare.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Departments of Clinical Studies (Arroyo) and Population Medicine (Sears), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1; Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA (Gomez).
- Departments of Clinical Studies (Arroyo) and Population Medicine (Sears), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1; Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA (Gomez).
- Departments of Clinical Studies (Arroyo) and Population Medicine (Sears), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1; Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA (Gomez).
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Blood Transfusion / veterinary
- Colitis / blood
- Colitis / mortality
- Colitis / therapy
- Colitis / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Ontario
- Plasma
- Survival Analysis
References
- Tennent-Brown B. Plasma therapy in foals and adult horses.. Compend Contin Educ Vet 2011 Oct;33(10):E1-4.
- Constable PD, Hinchcliff KW, Done S, Gruenber W. Diseases of the alimentary tract — horses, pigs, and neonatal ruminants. .
- McConnico RS. Acute colitis in horses. .
- Yang L, Stanworth S, Hopewell S, Doree C, Murphy M. Is fresh-frozen plasma clinically effective? An update of a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.. Transfusion 2012 Aug;52(8):1673-86; quiz 1673.
- Boldt J. The good, the bad, and the ugly: should we completely banish human albumin from our intensive care units?. Anesth Analg 2000 Oct;91(4):887-95, table of contents.
- Kovac M, Huskamp B, Scheidemann W, Toth J, Tambur Z. Survival and evaluation of clinical and laboratory variables as prognostic indicators in horses hospitalized with acute diarrhea: 342 cases (1995–2015). Acta Veterinaria-Beograd 2017;67:356–365.
- Durham AE. Blood and plasma transfusion in the horse. Equine Vet Educ 1996;8:8–12.
- Fleck A, Raines G, Hawker F, Trotter J, Wallace PI, Ledingham IM, Calman KC. Increased vascular permeability: a major cause of hypoalbuminaemia in disease and injury.. Lancet 1985 Apr 6;1(8432):781-4.
- Boldt J. Use of albumin: an update.. Br J Anaesth 2010 Mar;104(3):276-84.
- Bellezzo F, Kuhnmuench T, Hackett ES. The effect of colloid formulation on colloid osmotic pressure in horses with naturally occurring gastrointestinal disease.. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S8.
- Atherton RP. Efficacy of hyperimmunised plasma in the treatment of horses with acute diarrhoea. MSc Thesis. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; 2007.
- Blunt MC, Nicholson JP, Park GR. Serum albumin and colloid osmotic pressure in survivors and nonsurvivors of prolonged critical illness.. Anaesthesia 1998 Aug;53(8):755-61.
- CEBM Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine. Levels of Evidence. CEBM; Mar, 2009.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Gomez DE, Leclere M, Arroyo LG, Li L, John E, Afonso T, Payette F, Darby S. Acute diarrhea in horses: A multicenter Canadian retrospective study (2015 to 2019). Can Vet J 2022 Oct;63(10):1033-1042.
- Crabtree NE, Epstein KL. Current Concepts in Fluid Therapy in Horses. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:648774.
- Parra-Moyano LA, Cedeño A, Darby S, Johnson JP, Gomez DE. Blood and Peritoneal Lactate, Ratio and Difference, and Peritoneal Lactate to Total Solids Ratio for Detection of Intestinal Strangulating Obstructions in Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jul-Aug;39(4):e70121.
- Gomez DE, Kopper JJ, Byrne DP, Renaud DL, Schoster A, Dunkel B, Arroyo LG, Mykkanen A, Gilsenan WF, Pihl TH, Lopez-Navarro G, Tennent-Brown BS, Hostnik LD, Mora-Pereira M, Marques F, Gold JR, DeNotta SL, Desjardins I, Stewart AJ, Kuroda T, Schaefer E, Oliver-Espinosa OJ, Agne GF, Uberti B, Veiras P, Delph Miller KM, Gialleti R, John E, Toribio RE. Treatment approaches to horses with acute diarrhea admitted to referral institutions: A multicenter retrospective study. PLoS One 2024;19(11):e0313783.