Synovial sepsis is rare following intrasynovial medication in equine ambulatory practice

Summary Background There are few observational studies regarding the potentially serious complication of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial medication in general equine practice. Quantification of risk is fundamental to fully inform decision‐making and owner consent prior to undertaking procedures. Objectives To describe the occurrence of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial injections in a large ambulatory equine practice between 2006–2011. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Methods Medication records were cross‐referenced against synovial cytology submissions and hospital admissions for synovial sepsis. The occurrence of synovial sepsis within strata of interest, including horse age, sex and product used were described as proportions with corresponding 95% confidence intervals, and measures of attributable risks. Results In the study period, 9456 intrasynovial medications were performed in 4331 sessions. The most frequently used medications were: corticosteroids (3869/4331, 89.3% [95% CI 88.4, 90.3%]), hyaluronate (3617/4331, 83.5% [95% CI 82.4, 84.6%]) and amikacin sulphate (4044/4331, 93.4% [95% CI 92.6, 94.1%]). Overall four horses developed post medication synovial sepsis (0.04% [95% CI 0.0, 0.08%] of all medications), two of these cases were given polysulphated glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronate (2/14, 14.3% [95% CI 0.0, 32.6%]), two were given triamcinolone acetonide (2/3592, 0.1% [95% CI 0.0, 0.1%]), and hyaluronate (2/3617, 0.06% [95% CI 0.0, 0.1%]). One of these cases had received concurrent medication with amikacin sulphate (1/4044, 0.02% [95% CI 0.0, 0.1%]). All four cases returned to racing following joint lavage. Main limitations Due to the low frequency of cases multivariable statistical analysis was not performed. Although the study was conducted in an ambulatory setting, the population included a high number of racehorses, limiting application to the general horse population. Conclusions The frequency of synovial sepsis in this population of horses was 0.04%. These data may be helpful in informing clients regarding the potential risks of adverse complications resulting from intrasynovial medication.