Application of intravenous infusion therapy in veterinary equine practices and clinics

摘要

The study provides an overview of the historical development, the basic principles of modern infusion therapy and indications for the use of intravenous infusion in horses.Furthermore a questionnaire was designed to establish the frequency and application modalities of infusion therapy for horses as well as the complications and risks includ-ing an assessment of practical relevance. The questionnaire was sent to 400 German veterinarians in clinics and specialised or general practices. 220 questionnaires (55.0%) were subsequently evaluated.Infusions were given daily in 40.4% of the clinics, whereas 78% of the specialised and general practices only carried out infusions several times per month or rarely. 83.2% of the veterinarians regarded the infusion therapy as a method of high practical relevance and used it to treat a variety of diseases which involve homeostasis disturbances in a broader sense (obstipation colic, shock, enteritis/typhlocolitis, myopathies, paralaytic ileus, hyperlipemia, diseases affecting newborn foals, chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease), and in connection with anesthesia.In equine clinics some indication of higher professional competence was found with regard to infusion therapy as compared to specialised and general practices, reflected in a more frequent use of infusions, a broader spectrum of indications and infusion so-lutions applied, the use of veins other than the jugular vein, the more frequent use of venous catheters and more care in the administration of the infusion. However the complication rate was higher in equine clinics: 80.9% of clinic veterinarians as com-pared to only 33.3% of practice veterinarians cited thrombophlebitis as a frequent complication of infusion therapy. The greater degree of illness in horses being treated in clinics may be responsible for this. According to 13.5% of the veterinarians in clinics, 11.1% in general practice, but only 1.4% in specialised practices the risk of suffering complications from infusion therapy is much greater for horses that are seriously ill.