Choke: Age, Sex, and Severity Affect Outcome

Obstruction of the esophagus, commonly known as choke, is a life-threatening condition for horses and a panic-inducing event for their caretakers. Scientists at Colorado State University set out to determine if certain clinical findings have relevance on the outcome, specifically if complications occur.

Medical records of 109 horses with esophageal obstruction were studied, and “the association among 24 clinical, hematological, hematological, biochemical, therapeutic variables and the likelihood of complications was investigated by statistical analysis.”

The conclusion: Colts and stallions seem to be predisposed to complications following an episode of choke, as do horses that require general anesthesia and those over 15 years of age. Aspiration pneumonia developed most frequently in horses with increased respiration rate and severe tracheal contamination.

According to the researchers, “signalment, clinical variables, and endoscopic findings were confirmed as important tools in assessing the severity of the esophageal lesion and pulmonary involvement.”

The August, 2010 issue of the Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine features the full-length article, “Clinical features and prognostic variables in 109 horses with esophageal obstruction (1992-2009).”