DETERMINATION OF BLOOD AND PERITONEAL LACTATE LEVELS AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN HORSES WITH COLIC SYNDROME

Abstract

Colic syndrome is one of the main causes of mortality in horses, often generating clinical emergencies due to its severity and high fatality rate, being responsible for 50% of deaths in adult horses. Lactate, a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism, increases its concentration in situations of tissue hypoxia, such as intestinal ischemia, common in equine colic. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between lactate levels in the blood and peritoneal fluid of horses with colic syndrome in relation to strangulating diseases, the therapeutic strategies employed and the survival rate of the animals. The research demonstrated that elevated lactate in the peritoneal fluid is a more effective marker to identify ischemic lesions compared to blood lactate, which had lower specificity for these cases. In addition, blood and peritoneal lactate levels at the admission of horses with acute abdominal syndrome were considered predictors of both the therapeutic indication and the survival of patients. It has been observed that higher peritoneal lactate values at admission are associated with a higher risk of mortality for the horse.