Recovery of horses from general anaesthesia: A systematic review (2000-2020) of risk factors and influence of interventions during the recovery period.
Authors: Loomes Kate, Louro Luís Filipe
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Recovery of Horses from General Anaesthesia Recovery from general anaesthesia represents one of the highest-risk periods in equine medicine, yet considerable variation exists in how practitioners manage this critical phase. Loomes and Louro conducted a systematic review of literature published between 2000 and 2020 to synthesise evidence on factors affecting recovery quality and the efficacy of interventions—both pharmacological and procedural—that anaesthetists employ to reduce complications. Multiple intrinsic factors including age, temperament, procedure type and duration influence recovery outcomes, though many remain beyond the clinician's direct control; consequently, researchers have investigated numerous interventions to mitigate recovery-related risks. The review reveals substantial disagreement among anaesthetists regarding which interventions meaningfully improve recovery quality or reduce mortality and morbidity, indicating gaps in the evidence base for common practices. For equine professionals involved in perioperative care—whether administering anaesthesia, managing post-operative rehabilitation, or advising on surgical planning—this work highlights the need for more robust comparative evidence and suggests that recovery protocols should be individualised based on patient risk profile rather than relying on consensus-based approaches without clear scientific support.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Understand that while some risk factors for poor recovery are inherent to the patient (age, temperament) or procedure (type, duration), recovery management strategies can still mitigate complications
- •Be aware that equine anaesthetic recovery protocols may vary between practitioners due to lack of consensus on best-practice interventions—discuss specific recovery plans with your anaesthetist
- •Recovery quality directly impacts post-operative morbidity and mortality risk, making the recovery period a critical phase requiring careful management and monitoring
Key Findings
- •Recovery period in equine anaesthesia represents a time of considerable risk with multiple controllable and uncontrollable risk factors affecting outcome quality
- •Age, procedure type, procedure duration, and temperament influence recovery quality but cannot be controlled by the anaesthetist
- •Various pharmacological interventions and recovery methods have been developed to improve recovery quality, but no consensus exists among equine anaesthetists regarding their efficacy