Comparison of complications and long-term survival rates following hand-sewn versus stapled side-to-side jejunocecostomy in horses with colic

Objective-To evaluate survival rate and complications after jejunocecostomy in horses with colic and to compare outcomes after hand-sewn versus stapled side-to-side jejunocecostomy. Design-Retrospective cohort study. Animals-32 horses. Procedures-Information was retrieved from medical records and through telephone calls on horses that had a hand-sewn or stapled side-to-side jejunocecostomy for treatment of colic, which was performed by or under the supervision of the same surgeon. Kaplan-Meier life table analysis was used to compare survival times and rates between horses that underwent a hand-sewn or stapled side-to-side anastomosis. Results-32 horses met inclusion criteria; 22 underwent a hand-sewn anastomosis, and 10 underwent a stapled anastomosis. Horses in the stapled group had a significantly greater prevalence of postoperative colic and combined postoperative colic and reflux than horses in the hand-sewn group. In the hand-sewn group, repeated celiotomy was performed within the same hospitalization period for 3 of 22 horses; in the stapled group, 4 of 10 horses had repeated celiotomies. Hospital discharge rates (ie, short-term survival rates) were similar between horses in the hand-sewn group (20/22 horses) and those in the stapled group (9/10 horses). Long-term survival rates were similar for both groups, ranging from 5 to 126 months. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Short- and long-term results justify use of jejunocecostomy in horses. Despite similar survival rates between groups, horses that underwent a stapled anastomosis had significantly greater prevalences of postoperative complications than horses that underwent a hand-sewn anastomosis, suggesting that horses were sensitive to minor differences in anastomosis techniques. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2010;237:1060-1067)