Risk factors associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction in horses undergoing elective procedures under general anaesthesia.
Abstract: Gastrointestinal dysfunction occurs commonly following elective anaesthesia. Identification of risk factors may allow implementation of preventative measures to reduce the prevalence of colic following elective anaesthetic procedures. Objective: To examine risk factors associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction or post anaesthetic colic for horses undergoing elective surgical or diagnostic procedures under general anaesthesia. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records were collected from adult horses undergoing general anaesthesia from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2010 using a retrospective cohort design. Potential risk factors were examined using univariable logistic regression with a limit of a P<0.25. Through backward elimination, the final multivariate model was created to identify variables significantly associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Results: Colic or delayed faecal output was reported in 36 out of 416 (8.7%) horses undergoing general anaesthesia in the study period. In the final multivariable model, horse breed (P = 0.05), intraoperative peripheral blood lactate (P = 0.02), right lateral recumbency during general anaesthesia (P = 0.04), post anaesthetic rectal temperature (P = 0.03) and hours to first passage of faeces (P<0.01) were statistically significant between horses that exhibited colic compared with those that did not. Arabians were more likely to develop colic compared with other horse breeds (4/13, 30.8%). Horses that exhibited gastrointestinal dysfunction passed faeces later than those that did not (7.2 ± 0.8 h and 5.4 ± 0.2 h, respectively). As blood lactate increased at the end of anaesthesia, the odds of colic occurring also increased (odds ratio:1.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.83, P = 0.02). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the prevalence of colic in horses undergoing elective general anaesthetic procedures in our hospital population. Arabian horses, increasing blood lactate and delayed passage of faeces were significantly associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal dysfunction.
© 2013 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-12-01 PubMed ID: 24304397DOI: 10.1111/evj.12162Google 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
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.
The research explores the relationship between various risk factors and the occurrence of gastrointestinal dysfunction, also known as colic, in horses that undergo elective surgical or diagnostic procedures under general anesthesia. The data suggest that Arabian horse breed, increased blood lactate, and delayed passage of faeces are significantly related to an increased risk of experiencing gastrointestinal issues post-anaesthetic.
Objective and Methodology
- The primary aim of this research was to evaluate the risk factors associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction in horses who had undergone elective surgical or diagnostic procedures under general anesthesia. This was done in the hope that the identification of these risk factors may allow for the establishment of preventative measures to curb the prevalence of colic following sedation.
- The chosen methodology was a retrospective case series. The research examined medical records of adult horses that had been put under general anaesthetic from 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2010.
- The potential risk factors were evaluated using a univariate logistic regression. The final multivariate model was created via backward elimination to indicate the variables significantly relating to gastrointestinal dysfunction.
Results
- Colic or delayed faecal output was observed in 36 out of 416 (8.7%) horses that were put under general anesthesia within the study period.
- The breed of the horse, intraoperative peripheral blood lactate, the horse’s position (right lateral recumbency) during anesthesia, post anesthetic rectal temperature, and hours until the first passage of faeces were all found to be statistically significant factors between horses that demonstrated colic compared to those that did not.
- Arabian horses were found to be more susceptible to developing colic compared to other breeds.
- Horses that experienced gastrointestinal dysfunction passed faeces noticeably later than horses that did not.
- The odds of a horse experiencing colic increased as the blood lactate level increased at the end of the anaesthesia.
Conclusions
- The research established that the practice of elective general anaesthetic procedures is accompanied by a prevalence of colic in horses in the studied hospital population.
- Specific risk factors such as being of the Arabian breed, having an increased blood lactate level, and experiencing a delayed passage of faeces were found to be strongly associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal dysfunction.
Cite This Article
APA
Nelson BB, Lordan EE, Hassel DM.
(2013).
Risk factors associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction in horses undergoing elective procedures under general anaesthesia.
Equine Vet J Suppl(45), 8-14.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12162 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Anesthesia, General
- Animals
- Colic / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / surgery
- Horses
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- 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.
- Jodzio D, DeNotta S, Plummer C, Sanchez C. Pain scoring systems in hospitalized horses with ocular disease. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Jan-Feb;38(1):388-397.
- Pezzanite LM, Griffenhagen GM, Krause DM, Hendrickson DA. Retrospective evaluation of association between perioperative antimicrobial protocol and complications following elective equine synovial endoscopy. Vet Med Sci 2021 May;7(3):609-620.
- 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.
- Dwyer A. Science-in-brief: clinical highlights from the American Association of Equine Practitioners 59th Annual Convention and Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 45. Equine Vet J 2014 May;46(3):259-61.
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
