Prevalence of complications associated with use of the Henderson equine castrating instrument.

BACKGROUND: Castration is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the horse. Complication rate and types of complications associated with use of the Henderson equine castrating instrument have not been determined.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the complication rate and type of complications encountered when using the Henderson equine castrating instrument in equine ambulatory practice.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series.

METHODS: Medical records of horses undergoing routine castration using the Henderson drill were identified and evaluated for the occurrence of complications. The relationship between potential risk factors and complications was examined using basic descriptive statistics and quantified by means of logistic regression.

RESULTS: Of 252 horses in the study population, 27 (10.7%) developed a complication after surgery; 25 of which were nonlife-threatening and responded to medical management. Two complications, one each of wound botulism and evisceration, resulted in euthanasia. Age at the time of castration was significantly associated with the occurrence of (P = 0.005, Wilcoxon rank sum test) complications. Compared to younger horses, the odds of having a complication were significantly greater (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.27-7.0; P = 0.01) for horses of 4 years of age or more.

MAIN LIMITATIONS: The retrospective nature of this study. There is also a lack of direct comparison between different castration methods.

CONCLUSIONS: The Henderson equine castrating instrument is an acceptable alternative to traditional emasculators. Its use is associated with a low rate of complications (8.3%) in young horses (≤3 years of age) compared to older horses (21.3%) and a very low rate of serious complications (0.8%) in all ages of horses.