Syndromic surveillance for evaluating the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections in equine hospitals.
Authors: Ruple-Czerniak A A, Aceto H W, Bender J B, Paradis M R, Shaw S P, Van Metre D C, Weese J S, Wilson D A, Wilson J, Morley P S
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Recognition of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in equine hospitals has long relied on resource-intensive laboratory surveillance, limiting its applicability across diverse clinical settings. Ruple-Czerniak and colleagues conducted a prospective, multi-centre study across five referral hospitals, tracking 297 weaned equids admitted for gastrointestinal disorders over 12 weeks and using clinician-completed surveys to identify seven predefined nosocomial syndromes, rather than requiring formal microbiological confirmation. Nearly one-fifth of hospitalised cases (19.7%, 95% CI: 14.5–26.7) developed at least one nosocomial event, with surgical site inflammation and intravenous catheter site inflammation being the most frequently reported complications unrelated to the primary admission diagnosis. Using Poisson and logistic regression models, the authors demonstrated that syndromic surveillance—a standardised approach based on clinical recognition of infection patterns rather than laboratory culture results—could be reliably implemented across multiple hospitals without disrupting existing workflows. For equine practitioners and hospital managers, this framework offers a practical, cost-effective method to monitor HAI rates internally, identify high-risk procedures or management practices, and implement targeted infection control measures without the expense or logistical barriers of comprehensive laboratory-based surveillance programmes.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Nearly 1 in 5 hospitalized horses develop a nosocomial infection or complication, making infection control protocols essential for equine referral hospitals
- •IV catheters and surgical sites are the primary sources of preventable nosocomial infections in equine hospitals—focus infection prevention efforts on catheter care and aseptic surgical technique
- •Hospitals can implement standardized surveillance systems without disrupting current operations, providing actionable data to monitor and reduce healthcare-associated infection rates
Key Findings
- •19.7% of hospitalized equids developed at least one nosocomial event during hospitalization
- •95 nosocomial events were reported across 65 horses in the study population
- •Surgical site inflammation and IV catheter site inflammation were the most commonly reported nosocomial syndromes unrelated to the primary reason for hospitalization
- •Syndromic surveillance systems can be successfully standardized across multiple equine hospitals to estimate healthcare-associated infection rates