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Post anaesthetic colic in horses: a preventable complication?
Abstract: There is little information on the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, post anaesthetic colic (PAC) in horses undergoing nonabdominal operations. Objective: To undertake the first prospective study of prevalence of PAC and identify risk factors in its development in nonabdominal procedures. Methods: A multicentre prospective case-control study was conducted, on every horse undergoing anaesthesia for a nonabdominal procedure between April 2004 and June 2005. Colic cases were defined as any horse with recognised signs of abdominal pain within 72 h of general anaesthesia that could not be attributed to any concurrent disease. Five control horses per case were selected randomly from the study population at all hospitals. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between predictor variables and the risk of developing PAC. Results: The estimated mean prevalence of PAC in the study population was 5.2% (95% CI, 2.8, 8.0). However, the prevalence of colic varied between each centre. The most commonly diagnosed cause of colic was impaction. Multivariable analyses showed that the centre involved and the type of surgery performed were associated with an increased risk of PAC. Preoperative food deprivation and the use of opioid drugs were confounding factors. Conclusions: Prevalence of PAC varied significantly between the 4 hospitals studied; there may be hospital-related covariates that account for this. The type of surgery performed influenced the risk of PAC. Conclusions: Identifying the risk factors for PAC is a prerequisite for its prevention. This study indicates horses at increased risk of PAC that might benefit from a more critical evaluation of post anaesthetic gastrointestinal function and/or the provision of preventative measures. Further investigation is required to explain the variation in prevalence of PAC between centres.
Publication Date: 2006-09-22 PubMed ID: 16986610DOI: 10.2746/042516406778400673Google Scholar: Lookup 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
- Multicenter Study
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study presents an analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of post anaesthetic colic (PAC) in horses that have undergone nonabdominal procedures. It finds that the prevalence of PAC varies among hospitals and significant factors that can influence the likelihood of PAC include the type of surgery performed and the hospital involved in the procedure.
Research Methodology
- The study utilized a multicentre prospective case-control design and was conducted on all horses that underwent anaesthesia for nonabdominal procedures between April 2004 and June 2005.
- Colic cases were identified as any horse exhibiting signs of abdominal pain within 72 hours of the general anaesthesia that couldn’t be linked to any other concurrent disease.
- Five non-colic control horses were randomly selected from the entire study population at each hospital for comparison.
- A multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the relationship between predictor variables including type of surgery, preoperative food deprivation, use of opioid drugs, and the risk of developing PAC.
Key Findings
- The estimated mean prevalence of PAC in the study population was 5.2%, with a range between 2.8% and 8.0%.
- The prevalence of PAC varied across each participating centre, indicating a hospital-based dependency of PAC occurrences.
- The most commonly diagnosed cause of colic was impaction.
- The multivariable analysis showed an association between the risk of PAC and the type of surgery performed and the hospital where the surgery took place.
- Preoperative food deprivation and the use of opioid drugs were found to be confounding factors that could influence the risk of PAC.
Conclusions and Implications
- The researchers concluded that the prevalence of PAC significantly varied between hospitals, implying the potential existence of hospital-related covariates affecting PAC prevalence.
- The type of surgery a horse undergoes also influences the risk of developing PAC.
- Identification of these risk factors is key to the prevention of PAC. Horses at increased risk may benefit from a critical examination of gastrointestinal function post-anaesthesia and/or the implementation of preventative measures.
- Further research is needed to better understand the reasons behind the variation in PAC prevalence across different centres.
Cite This Article
APA
Senior JM, Pinchbeck GL, Allister R, Dugdale AH, Clark L, Clutton RE, Coumbe K, Dyson S, Clegg PD.
(2006).
Post anaesthetic colic in horses: a preventable complication?
Equine Vet J, 38(5), 479-484.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516406778400673 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institutes of Evolution, Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia / adverse effects
- Anesthesia / veterinary
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Colic / chemically induced
- Colic / epidemiology
- Colic / prevention & control
- Colic / veterinary
- Confidence Intervals
- Fasting
- Fecal Impaction / complications
- Fecal Impaction / epidemiology
- Fecal Impaction / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / chemically induced
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Logistic Models
- Multivariate Analysis
- Odds Ratio
- Postoperative Complications / chemically induced
- Postoperative Complications / epidemiology
- Postoperative Complications / prevention & control
- Postoperative Complications / veterinary
- Predictive Value of Tests
- Prevalence
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Palozzo A, Celani G, Guerri G, Straticò P, Varasano V, Petrizzi L. Segmental Posthetomy in a Four Stallions Case Series. Animals (Basel) 2021 Apr 16;11(4).
- Maney J, Little E, Dzikiti T. Effect of a short pre-anesthetic fast on arterial blood gas values in isoflurane-anesthetized donkeys. Can Vet J 2019 Oct;60(10):1057-1059.
- Bailey PA, Hague BA, Davis M, Major MD, Zubrod CJ, Brakenhoff JE. Incidence of post-anesthetic colic in non-fasted adult equine patients. Can Vet J 2016 Dec;57(12):1263-1266.
- Tabar JJ, Cruz AM. Cecal rupture in foals--7 cases (1996-2006). Can Vet J 2009 Jan;50(1):65-70.
- Varner KM, Curtiss AL, Hogan PM, Love K, Dodam JR. Retrospective evaluation of the impact of atropine administration on incidence of post-operative colic in healthy, isoflurane-anaesthetised horses. Equine Vet J 2025 Jul;57(4):924-930.
- Haralambus R, Juri M, Mokry A, Jenner F. The impact of opioid administration on the incidence of postanaesthetic colic in horses. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1347548.
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