Short-term follow-up analysis of plasma endotoxin levels to predict survival after surgical correction of displacement of the colon in horses: A retrospective case note analysis

Abstract

Objective: Measurement of endotoxin levels in equine colic has been used to predict their outcome in previous studies, but current studies indicate that endotoxin0induced systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) is the most clinically critical and relevant issue rather than endotoxin levels in blood and other biomarkers have been sought to characterize the SIRS. This study aimed to re-assess the clinical efficiency of the measurement of plasma endotoxin levels in equine colic cases by the kinetic chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Results: We retrospectively analyzed previous data regarding the plasma endotoxin levels obtained at the time of the first admission for 21 horses diagnosed with a displacement of the large colon, which was surgically corrected. The relationships between endotoxin levels and outcomes were statistically examined. A total of 9 nonsurvivors exhibited significantly higher endotoxin levels than12 survivors. Statistical analysis showed that the endotoxin levels had significant diagnostic power for determining outcomes. Measurement of endotoxin levels at admission appears to have prognostic predictive value in horses with colic within a period of 3 days of hospitalization for surgery; however, the study was unable to draw clear conclusions since of the evidence base was still limited.