Survival and complication rates in 300 horses undergoing surgical treatment of colic. Part 2: Short-term complications

Abstract

Summary Reasons for performing study: Few studies have assessed short‐ and long‐term complication rates of horses following surgical treatment of colic, a potentially fatal condition. Complications can lead to patient discomfort and increased costs; knowledge of predisposing factors may help to reduce complication rates. Objectives: To document and analyse short‐term complications in 300 horses undergoing colic surgery, and to assess some of the possible predisposing factors. Methods: History, clinical findings, surgical findings and procedures, and post operative treatments of 300 consecutive surgical colic cases (1994–2001) were reviewed. Comparisons among groups of discrete data were made using chi‐squared or Student's t tests as appropriate. Results: Short‐term complications in 227 horses following a single laparotomy included colic/pain (28.2%), incisional drainage or infection (26.9%), post operative ileus (13.7%), severe endotoxaemic shock (12.3%), jugular thrombophlebitis (7.5%), septic peritonitis (3.1%) and colitis/diarrhoea (2.2%). Horses with small bowel obstruction had a higher rate of post operative ileus than those with large bowel obstruction. Rates of post operative pain and shock were higher in horses with small colon rather than large colon obstruction, and in those that had an ischaemic rather than a simple obstruction. The rate of wound complications increased with increasing total plasma protein concentration at admission. Horses that had a repeat laparotomy had a higher rate of wound complications compared to those that had a single laparotomy. Application of a stent bandage was associated with a higher rate of wound complications than if no stent was applied; however, application of an incise drape over the wound for recovery was associated with a lower rate of wound complications than for horses that had no protective covering of the wound. Conclusions: The most common short‐term post operative complications following colic surgery were pain, incisional drainage, ileus, endotoxaemiac shock and jugular thrombophlebitis. Some factors that appeared to predispose to these complications were identified. Although many of these factors related to the underlying disease process, a number of factors, including surgical techniques, were identified that might be amenable to modification. Potential relevance: Prospective studies to assess the effects of modifying these factors on survival rates should be performed.

Post operative infection, pyrexia and perioperative antimicrobial drug use in surgical colic patients

“…Complications of abdominal surgery in the horse include post operative ileus, endotoxaemia, adhesions and infection such as incisional infection, colitis, septic thrombophlebitis, pneumonia and peritonitis [1][2][3]. Infection is a common and important surgical complication.…”

“…The specific objectives were to determine the association between [1] post operative pyrexia and the development of infection and [2] perioperative AMD use and infection rate.…”

Effects of Bit Chewing on Right Upper Quadrant Intestinal Sound Frequency in Adult Horses

“…In horses, like humans postoperative ileus may involve the entire gastrointestinal tract [10][11][12][13] and prevention and treatment are based on same principles. Management strategies for POI can be divided into prevention and supportive care.…”

Indications, complications, and outcome of horses undergoing repeated celiotomy within 14 days after the first colic surgery: 95 cases (2005–2013)

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Although the quality of care and rate of survival to hospital discharge for horses undergoing colic surgery have increased over the past decades and are now generally considered good, several complications can occur during the immediate postoperative period, which influence short-and long-term outcome. …”