The Use of Ultrasound to Assess the Thrombogenic Properties of Teflon and Polyurethane Catheters for Short-Term Use in Systemically Healthy Horses

The objective of this study was to establish an ultrasound scoring system to assess the degree of fibrin tag and clot formation associated with jugular catheters in horses. A second objective was to test the hypothesis that, in healthy horses undergoing short-term anesthesia, polyurethane (PU) catheters have a different ultrasound score compared with polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) catheters. Twenty-three systemically healthy horses requiring anesthesia were randomly assigned PU or Teflon catheters. The mean catheter dwell time was 5 hours. Ultrasound was used to examine the jugular vein before catheter placement, before catheter removal (mean, 4 hours 45 minutes), and approximately 24 hours after catheter insertion (mean, 24 hours 42 minutes). The repeatability of the ultrasound scoring system was assessed by producing a series of randomly ordered selected still images for independent evaluation by four radiologists on two separate occasions. The interobserver and intraobserver repeatability was determined using a weighted kappa statistic, with substantial intraobserver repeatability mean κ .77 (range, .59–.91) and moderate interobserver repeatability mean κ .53 (range, .33–.67). The proportion of positive bacteriologic cultures in the polyurethane (PU) and Teflon groups was compared using Fisherʹs exact test, with no significant difference (P > .99) between the two groups. The distribution of the scores from the PU and Teflon groups was compared using the Mann-Whitney test, with no evidence of a difference between groups at the time of catheter removal (P = .23) and 24 hours after catheter insertion (P = .20). Further studies with a larger sample of systemically healthy horses are required to substantiate this preliminary finding.