The equine neonatal intensive care laboratory: point-of-care testing

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Neonatal Care
• Diagnostic Technology

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) require rapid evaluation and intervention for patient management.
• This principle extends to equine neonates, necessitating species-specific knowledge.
• Age, maturity, and species differences in reference ranges are crucial for appropriate interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss age-specific differences in reference ranges for equine neonates.
• To highlight potential limitations of point-of-care (POC) testing devices in this population.
• To inform veterinary professionals about factors affecting POC device accuracy in neonatal foals.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on neonatal physiology and reference ranges.
• Analysis of the applicability of existing POC testing devices for equine neonates.
• Discussion of potential discrepancies between device-specific ranges and equine neonatal values.

Main Results:

• Significant age-specific variations exist in equine neonatal reference ranges.
• POC devices developed for other species or age groups may yield inaccurate results in foals.
• Over-reliance on unvalidated POC data can compromise timely and appropriate veterinary interventions.

Conclusions:

• Veterinarians must be aware of the limitations of POC devices when used in equine neonates.
• Accurate interpretation of POC results requires consideration of age and species-specific reference values.
• Further research is needed to validate POC devices for equine neonatal critical care.