Prognosis indicators of equine acute abdomen in south Brazil

• Published in: Ciência rural 2025, Vol.55 (1)
• Main Authors: Pradella, Gabriela Döwich, Andrade, Adriana Oliveira, Tassinari, Wagner de Souza, Lübeck, Irina, Martins, Natálie Rodrigues, Dutra, Natália Lima Brasil, Duarte, Claudia Acosta
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: AGRONOMY; clinical evaluation; colic; horse; statistics; survival
• ISSN: 0103-8478; 1678-4596; 1678-4596
• DOI: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20230516

Acute abdomen cases are among the most prevalent and challenging illnesses in equine medicine. The diagnosis includes anamnesis and detailed clinical evaluation of the patient, allowing the gathering of several important information and, additionally, the use of complementary exams helps to define the diagnosis and prognosis of each case. This research applied the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) in data referring to clinical examination information and outcome of horses with colic referred to a hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Fifty eight horses were included in the analysis and, it was possible to identify significant differences between the groups, survivors and non-survivors. Related to clinical signs, non-survivor cases are distinguished by severe pain, lack of motility, mucosal alteration, capillary refill time greater than 2sec, heart rate more than 48bpm and presence of nasogastric reflux. As complementary exams, hematocrits and blood lactate demonstrate significative difference among the groups. The cardiovascular parameters, including heart rate, mucosal color and capillary refill time, were the variables with the greatest contribution to discriminate animals that non-survive from those that were discharged. Thus, clinical evaluation should not be underestimated and complementary exams should be used in conjunction to seek a better prognosis. The MCA allowed to visualize the data and predict the outcome of the patients. RESUMO: Os casos de abdome agudo estão entre as doenças mais prevalentes e desafiadoras na medicina equina. O diagnóstico inclui a realização de anamnese e avaliação clínica detalhada do paciente, permitindo a coleta de diversas informações importantes e, adicionalmente, a utilização de exames complementares ajuda a definir o diagnóstico e prognóstico de cada caso. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi aplicar a análise de correspondência múltipla (ACM) em dados referentes ao exame clínico e desfecho de cavalos com cólica encaminhados para um hospital no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foram incluídos 58 cavalos na análise e foi possível identificar diferenças significativas entre os grupos, sobreviventes e não sobreviventes. Relacionado aos sinais clínicos, os casos de óbito distinguem-se por dor intensa, falta de motilidade, alteração da mucosa, tempo de preenchimento capilar maior que 2seg., frequência cardíaca maior que 48bpm e presença de refluxo nasogástrico. Como exames complementares, o hematócrito e o lactato san