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Prevention of Intraabdominal Adhesions in Ponies by Low‐dose Heparin Therapy
Author(s) -
PARKER JILL E.,
FUBINI SUSAN L.,
CAR BRUCE D.,
ERB HOLLIS N.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
veterinary surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1532-950X
pISSN - 0161-3499
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1987.tb00988.x
Subject(s) - medicine , heparin , intensive care medicine , surgery
An ischemic bowel model was used to stimulate adhesion formation in eight ponies. Heparin (40 USP u/kg) or saline was administered intravenously at surgery and was continued subcutaneously every 12 hours for 48 hours to evaluate the efficacy of heparin in preventing intraabdominal adhesions. Ponies were euthanatized after 6 weeks, and postmortem examinations were performed. A statistically significant difference was found between the heparin‐treated and the control groups. Adhesions developed in three of four control ponies, and adhesions did not develop in three of four heparin‐treated ponies. None of the adhesions resulted in clinical disease. In this study, heparin decreased the formation of adhesions in ponies after experimentally induced intestinal ischemia.