DETERMINATION OF BLOOD AND PERITONEAL LACTATE LEVELS AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN HORSES WITH COLIC SYNDROME
Authors: Lilyan da Silva Teixeira, Danny Hellen Guimarães Cruz, Amanda Jansen Arruda, Luisa Domingues do Amaral, L. E. C. S. Correia, Leonardo Moreira de Oliveira, Carolina Mura Ramos, Rafael Françoso
Journal: ARACÊ
Summary
# Editorial Summary Colic remains the leading cause of death in adult horses, and identifying which cases involve life-threatening intestinal ischemia—where tissue oxygen deprivation triggers anaerobic metabolism—is critical for determining urgency and prognosis. Teixeira and colleagues measured lactate concentrations in both blood and peritoneal fluid (abdominal fluid) from colic cases to evaluate whether these metabolic markers could predict the presence of strangulating lesions and predict patient outcomes. Peritoneal lactate proved substantially more specific than blood lactate for identifying ischaemic intestinal damage, with elevated peritoneal lactate levels on admission strongly associated with increased mortality risk and influencing whether surgical intervention would be necessary. Both markers demonstrated prognostic value at presentation, offering clinicians an objective means to stratify colic cases by severity and inform owners of realistic survival expectations early in treatment. For practitioners managing acute abdominal emergencies, peritoneal fluid lactate analysis—readily obtained via abdominocentesis—represents a more reliable indicator of tissue compromise than serum lactate alone, potentially improving decision-making around treatment intensity and surgical referral timing.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Measure peritoneal lactate on admission for horses with acute abdomen—it's more specific than blood lactate for detecting intestinal ischemia and helps guide treatment decisions
- •Use lactate levels as a prognostic tool: elevated peritoneal lactate indicates poorer survival odds and may influence whether to pursue medical vs. surgical management
- •Peritoneal fluid analysis should be part of your colic workup, as it provides better diagnostic and prognostic information than blood work alone
Key Findings
- •Peritoneal lactate is a more effective marker for identifying ischemic lesions than blood lactate in equine colic
- •Blood and peritoneal lactate levels at admission predict both therapeutic indication and patient survival
- •Higher peritoneal lactate values at admission are associated with increased mortality risk in horses with colic