Outcome following emergency laparotomy in 33 UK donkeys: A retrospective multicentre study


Merridale-Punter, Mathilde S, Prutton, Jamie SW, Stefanovski, Darko, Worsman, Francesca CF, Payne, Richard J, Wylie, Claire E, Archer, Debra C ORCID: 0000-0003-4421-9269, Menzies-Gow, Nicola J, Coles, Lydia, McGovern, Kate F et al (show 1 more authors) (2022) Outcome following emergency laparotomy in 33 UK donkeys: A retrospective multicentre study. EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, 55 (2). pp. 222-229.

[img] Text
Outcome following emergency laparotomy 33 UK donkeys.docx - Submitted version
Download (79kB)
[img] Text
Clean Non-Blinded Copy_reviewed.docx - Author Accepted Manuscript
Download (85kB)

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Emergency laparotomies in donkeys are infrequently performed and there is limited literature on the subject.<h4>Objectives</h4>To determine findings and associated outcomes of exploratory laparotomies in donkeys.<h4>Study design</h4>Descriptive retrospective study.<h4>Methods</h4>Donkeys undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy for investigation and treatment of colic at seven UK referral hospitals between 2005-2017 were included. Data were retrieved from available hospital records. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical analysis of outcomes of interest was performed in three steps.<h4>Results</h4>Thirty-three cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Clinical signs on presentation were available for 32 donkeys, of which 53.1% (17/32) presented for investigation of colic while in 46.9% (15/32) the presenting complaint was non-specific. Primary lesion location included small intestine (42.4%, 14/33), large colon (39.3%, 13/33), caecum (6.1%, 2/33), stomach (6.1%, 2/33) and 6.1% (2/33) had multiple abnormal findings without a clear primary lesion. Overall survival to discharge was 54.5% (18/33). Five donkeys (15.2%, 5/33) were euthanased at surgery and of those recovering from general anaesthesia a further 35.7% (10/28) were euthanased or died prior to discharge. Six donkeys (21.4%, 6/28) required a second laparotomy of which 4 (66.7%, 4/6) survived. Post-operative complications occurred in 82.1% (23/28) of cases and included hyperlipaemia (42.9%, 12/28), incisional complications (21.4%, 6/28), ileus (21.4%, 6/28) and persistent colic (17.9%, 5/28). When adjusted for other complications, donkeys with primary gastric lesions were less likely to have presented with severe colic compared with those with primary small intestinal lesions (OR: 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.95, p = 0.05). Only age was positively associated with death prior to discharge (OR: 1.18, 95% CI 1.03-1.36, p = 0.02).<h4>Main limitations</h4>Small sample size and retrospective design.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Donkeys with abdominal lesions may present with a range of signs often not including colic. Surgical findings were diverse and survival to discharge appears to be lower than in horses.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: colic, donkey, exploratory laparotomy, horse
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 15 May 2023 09:09
Last Modified: 16 May 2023 08:17
DOI: 10.1111/evj.13578
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170243
Dimensions
Altmetric
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)