Fourteen horses with colic and 8 healthy horses were included in this prospective clinical study.
Horses with colic underwent anesthesia and surgery for alleviation of colic, and healthy horses underwent anesthesia and surgery for arthroscopy.
Plasma AVP was measured perioperatively in horses with colic and in healthy horses.
Before anesthesia, and 30 and 60 minutes after induction, horses with colic had greater median plasma AVP concentrations than control horses (P¡Ü0.001); thereafter during anesthesia differences in AVP concentrations between the 2 groups were not significant.
In the control group, plasma AVP concentration increased during 120 minutes of anesthesia; no such increase occurred in colic horses.
Conclusions: Compared with healthy horses, horses with colic had higher preanesthesia plasma AVP concentrations that did not increase further in response to anesthesia and surgery.
Exogenous AVP is associated with decreased splanchnic perfusion in a variety of animal species and, therefore, could be detrimental to horses with colic.
Thus, it may be inappropriate to use exogenous AVP in support of blood pressure in anesthetized horses with colic.
Further studies are warranted to define appropriate indications for the use of AVP in horses with colic.
Source: John W. Ludders, Hanna-Maaria Palos, Hollis N. Erb, Stephen V. Lamb, Stella E. Vincent, Robin D. Gleed (2009): Plasma arginine vasopressin concentration in horses undergoing surgery for colic. In: Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
Volume 19 Issue 6, Pages 528 - 535
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