Standing start

GENERAL anaesthesia is a wonderful technique, but it is not without risk.

The anaesthetic mortality rate is around one in 100 for otherwise healthy horses, for reasons including an abnormal reaction to the medication used to induce and maintain anaesthesia, an unforeseen event leading to severe depression of the heart or lungs, or a significant musculoskeletal injury such as a fracture or dislocation during recovery.

Once a horse is anaesthetised, many body systems become compromised. The heavy abdominal organs compress the thoracic cavity and lungs, reducing the amount of oxygen getting into the blood, and the lungs gradually collapse. As the anaesthetic progresses, it is possible for the horse to become hypoxic