Prevalence of Post-Anesthesia Cardiac Arrhythmias in Horses

Study links common post-surgical heart arrhythmia in horses to anesthesia, surgery, and recovery.
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A team of British researchers recently completed a study examining the prevalence of post-general anesthesia cardiac arrhythmias and found that irregularities are common in horses’ hearts during the post-surgical recovery period.

"Texts report that horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy (colic surgery) commonly have arrhythmias in the post-operative period, yet there is very limited literature in this area," explained lead author Ruth A. Morgan, MA, VetMB, MRCVS, Horse Trust senior clinical training scholar in equine internal medicine in the University of Liverpool’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. "If the prevalence and nature of arrhythmias in the post-anesthetic period is determined, then clinicians will be better able to identify, understand, and manage those horses developing post-operative arrhythmias."

Armed with that information, Morgan and her colleagues set out to determine the prevalence of arrhythmias in post-surgical patients; compare the incidence in horses with and without gastrointestinal (GI) disease; and evaluate identifiable risk factors for arrhythmia development post-anesthesia.

In the prospective study the team evaluated 104 horses of varying age, breed, and sex presented for surgery at the Univeristy of Liverpool’s Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital between September 2009 and January 2011; 67 horses with GI disease and 37 without GI disease were included. Each horse’s electrolyte levels were measured before, during, and after surgery, and each horse’s cardiac activity was monitored with an electrocardiogram (ECG) for 24 hours after surgery

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Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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