Short-term survival rates of 1397 horses referred for colic from 2010 to 2018

Table 3 Distribution of treatment and outcome for selected diagnosis codes

Diagnosis	Total		Total medical		Medical survival		Total surgical		Surgical survival
Diagnosis	n	%^†	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Ascending colon—simple obstructions	502	35.9	427	85.1	420	98.4	75	14.9	60	80.0
Impaction colon	237	17.0	224	94.5	219	97.8	13	5.5	10	76.9
Left dorsal displacement	126	9.0	120	95.2	118	98.3	6	4.8	6	100.0
Right dorsal displacement	104	7.4	65	62.5	65	100	39	37.5	29	74.4
Other displacements	26	1.9	16	61.5	16	100	10	–	9	90.0
Retroflexion of pelvic flexure	9	0.6	2	22.2	2	100	7	–	6	85.7
Small intestine—strangulating obstructions	107	7.7	1	–	0	–	106	99.1	60	56.6
Epiploic foramen entrapment	46	3.3	0	–	0	–	46	100	19	41.3
Other strangulation	28	2.0	0	–	0	–	28	100	21	75.0
Strangulating lipoma	20	1.4	0	–	0	–	20	100	12	60.0
Volvulus	12	0.9	1	8.3	0	–	11	91.7	8	72.7
Intussusception	1	0.1	0	–	0	–	1	100	0	–

Diagnosis codes causing simple obstructions of the ascending colon and strangulating obstructions of the small intestine. For example, impactions caused simple obstructions of the ascending colon in 17.0% (n = 237) of all 1397 horses. Of these 237 horses, 224 were treated medically and 13 were treated surgically. The medically treated impactions causing simple obstructions in the ascending colon had a survival rate of 97.8% (n = 219), while the short-term survival of surgically treated cases was 76.9% (n = 10)
^† % of all cases (n = 1397)

ISSN: 1751-0147