Complications associated with anaesthesia for ocular surgery: a retrospective study 1989-1996.
Authors: Parviainen A K, Trim C M
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Anaesthetic Complications During Equine Ocular Surgery Parviainen and Trim's retrospective review of 190 horses undergoing ocular procedures (eye enucleation, globe and adnexal surgery, or splint bone excision as control) revealed significant intraoperative and recovery-phase challenges specific to ocular work. Notably, 53% of enucleation cases exhibited movement during surgery—substantially higher than control procedures—though this complication was significantly reduced when an anaesthetic gas analyser was employed for real-time monitoring. Whilst the feared oculocardiac reflex was not demonstrated (one transient bradycardia notwithstanding), horses recovering from ocular surgery experienced significantly more unsatisfactory recoveries characterised by multiple attempts to stand compared with splint bone excision controls. These findings suggest that ocular procedures demand heightened vigilance regarding analgesic provision and anaesthetic depth maintenance, with gas analysis emerging as a practical tool to optimise surgical conditions and reduce economically and welfare-significant movement artefacts. For practitioners involved in equine eye cases, this work underscores the importance of adequate pre-emptive analgesia strategies and equipment investment to minimise intraoperative complications and post-operative recovery difficulties.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Monitor anaesthetic depth carefully during ocular surgery using gas analysis to reduce patient movement and improve surgical conditions
- •Ensure adequate analgesia and anaesthetic depth perioperatively, as ocular procedures carry higher risk of complications and difficult recoveries
- •Plan for extended recovery time and close monitoring after ocular surgery, as horses are at significantly greater risk for unsatisfactory recoveries requiring multiple standing attempts
Key Findings
- •53% of horses anaesthetised for eye enucleation moved during surgery, significantly more frequent than other surgical groups (P = 0.001)
- •Use of anaesthetic gas analyser significantly reduced incidence of intraoperative movement (P = 0.001)
- •Transient hypertension occurred in 6 horses during eye removal; oculocardiac reflex was not active in these horses
- •Unsatisfactory recovery from anaesthesia with multiple attempts to stand occurred significantly more frequently after ocular surgery compared to splint bone excision (P = 0.036)