Acute changes in serum iron concentrations in anesthetized healthy horses.
Monica Midon, Stuart C Clark-Price, Hui-Chu Lin, Kara M Lascola, Lindsey Boone
Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaa.2025.04.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Healthy adult horses (eight females, 16 geldings) weighing 545 ± 33 kg |
| Interventions | Isoflurane Xylazine Midazolam Ketamine |
| Dose | xylazine 0.8 mg kg-1 IV, midazolam 0.1 mg kg-1 IV, ketamine 2.2 mg kg-1 IV |
| Duration | 120-minute anesthesia, 24-hour follow-up |
| Keywords | Serum iron Anesthesia narcosis Sedation Veterinary care Horse health Blood iron Inflammatory response inflammation Immune response |
| Key findings | Serum iron concentrations acutely decrease in healthy horses during and after general anesthesia for at least 24 hours. |
Abstract
To determine if serum iron concentrations decrease acutely during and after general anesthesia in healthy horses. Prospective experimental study. A convenience sample of 24 healthy adult horses (eight females, 16 geldings), weighing 545 ± 33 kg (mean ± standard deviation). Horses were anesthetized for 120 minutes with isoflurane, after premedication with intravenous (IV) xylazine (0.8 mg kg-1) and induction with IV midazolam (0.1 mg kg-1) and ketamine (2.2 mg kg-1). Blood samples for serum iron analysis were obtained just before premedication (baseline), after 60 minutes of anesthesia (T60), after 120 minutes of anesthesia (T120), immediately after recovery (TREC) and 24 hours after induction (T24). Serum iron values are reported as mean ± standard deviation. Serum iron concentration was 152 ± 29 μg dL-1 at baseline, with reductions at other time points: 136 ± 25 μg dL-1 at T60, 133 ± 26 μg dL-1 at T120, 136 ± 26 μg dL-1 at TREC and 63 ± 19 μg dL-1 at T24. Serum iron concentrations acutely decrease in healthy horses during and after general anesthesia for at least 24 hours. General anesthesia may interfere with the use of serum iron for detecting and monitoring systemic disease and inflammation in horses.