Immediate and long‐term effects of halothane anesthesia on equine platelet function

Kelly, A.B., Steffey, E.P., McNeal, D. & Willits, N. Immediate and long‐term effects of halothane anesthesia on equine platelet function. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 8, 284–289. The acute and long‐term quantitative and qualitative effects of halothane anesthesia on equine platelet performance were studied in fourteen horses. Horses were anesthetized with only halothane in O₂ for about 8.0 MAC* hours. Platelet numbers declined during the anesthetic period but returned to normal within 24 h. Platelet aggregation was significantly diminished during the anesthetic period and for up to 4 days after anesthesia. A period of hyperaggregability occurred at the 7th day. Dr A. B. Kelly, Department of Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.