Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Managing grade 3 rectal tears in horses with packing?
By Baird, A N et al.·Published in Equine veterinary journal. Supplement·1989·Texas A & M University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Rectal packing as initial management of grade 3 rectal tears.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study involving 14 horses, researchers intentionally created grade 3 rectal tears, which are serious injuries to the rectum. All the horses received epidural anesthesia for pain relief for eight hours after the injury. The horses that had their rectums packed with cotton-filled material did not experience any worsening of the tear or contamination from feces. However, the horses that did not receive this packing developed fecal contamination and complications related to the injury. This suggests that using rectal packing can help prevent further issues in cases of severe rectal tears.
Abstract
Grade 3 rectal tears were created in 14 horses. Epidural anaesthesia was maintained in all horses for 8 h post injury. In seven horses with cotton filled stockinette packing the rectum, neither gross faecal contamination nor progression of the rectal tear occurred. Seven horses without rectal packing developed faecal contamination of the rectal tear with formation of a faeces filled serosal or mesorectal diverticulum.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9118093/