Retrospective study of the prevalence of factors contributing to successful standing at first attempt in horses recovering from general anesthesia

Abstract Objectives Several factors affect the quality of recovery from general anesthesia in horses. These can increase the likelihood of injury. Body and limb position during recovery may correlate with successful standing. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of and the factors associated with successful standing on the first attempt in horses undergoing general anesthesia. Study design Retrospective study. Methods Video of recovery and anesthetic records from 221 equine patients were reviewed by six veterinary students. Cases with poor video quality or incomplete anesthetic records were excluded. Demographic variables, type of procedure, perioperative drugs administered, assistance during recovery and body and limb positions during the first attempt to stand were recorded. Association between putative variables (including specific descriptors for body and limb position) and success for standing were analyzed using backwards logistic regression; significance set at 0.05. A decision tree for a successful attempt was created to be able to predict the outcome of a recovery attempt based on these variables. Results Extension of the carpal joints, head and neck alignment with the thoracic limbs, greater time in lateral recumbency, coordination during sternal recumbency, longer time to first attempt to stand and pelvic limb position were associated with successful standing on the first attempt. The association between extension of the carpal joints with wide base positioning of the pelvic limbs provided the best success rate for standing, whereas the association of flexed carpal joints and head and neck orientation different from the thoracic limbs resulted in a worse success rate. Conclusions and clinical relevance Results suggest that certain limb and body positions displayed by horses during recovery may be associated with the likelihood of successful standing at the first attempt. These variables may be useful for assessing recovery quality in future research.