The Effect of Intravenous Regional Perfusion of the Distal Limb With Amikacin Sulfate on Wounds Healing by Second Intention in Horses.

The research article evaluates whether using antibiotics, specifically amikacin sulfate, through intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) affects wound healing in horse limbs. The study finds that the use of antibiotics does not impede the wound healing process.

Methods and Experiments

• The researchers created two full-thickness wounds of identical size on the dorsal aspect of each metacarpus in adult horses. These wounds were then kept under sterile bandages.
• The IVRLP procedure, using amikacin sulfate, was randomized and performed on one limb of the horse on the second, third, and fourth day after the wound was made.
• Biopsies were obtained regularly from one wound on each limb to evaluate the histological effects of IVRLP. In addition, photographs were taken of the untreated wounds from the second to sixty-second day to allow for a gross assessment and wound measurement.
• The team then compared wound size, contraction, and healing rates during and after the IVRLP treatment periods, total healing rate, and histological scores for various factors, such as edema, hemorrhage, inflammatory infiltrate, and fibrovascular proliferation.

Results and Conclusion

• No significant differences were observed between the wounds treated with IVRLP and the untreated or control wounds in terms of size, contraction, or healing rates during or after the IVRLP treatment periods, or even the total healing rate.
• The overall wound size over time was slightly larger in the IVRLP group compared to the control group, but this difference did not have statistical significance.
• The researchers noted a higher degree of mononuclear cell infiltration in the IVRLP-treated wounds, but this did not correspond with any significant changes in other histological variables.
• All wounds, regardless of treatment, healed without the formation of exuberant granulation tissue, which is often a complication in wound healing.
• Therefore, their conclusion was that the treatment with IVRLP using amikacin sulfate for three consecutive days did not negatively affect the healing process of the limb wounds in the horses.

The research provides valuable insights for veterinary medicine and wound treatment care, indicating that antibiotic use via IVRLP does not detour wound healing in horses, which can be particularly useful in cases where systemic antibiotic administration might be challenging or undesirable.