AAEP Panel Calls for Additional EIPH Research

Before discussing the mysteries of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, Nathaniel White II of the Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine outlined some of the cardiovascular stresses horses in training endure during an American Association of Equine Practitioners Racing Committee presentation at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit June 28 at Keeneland.

White said research has shown that during racing, horses' hearts pump 132 gallons of blood a minute and airflow reaches 60 to 70 liters a second. With many horses suffering EIPH under such conditions, the AAEP racing committee in November formed a panel of nine experts to examine issues linked to the problem.

White said two studies continue examining the efficacy of Salix (furosemide, also called Lasix) if it's given 24 hours out instead of the current standard of four hours before racing. While he could offer no results of those studies being conducted at Washington State University and University of California-Davis, he said the panel has put together a list of other needed research areas involving EIPH.

Those ideas included:

1.    A study that evaluates the release of cytokines (substances released by cells) during exercise with and without Salix.

2.    A look at the effects of decreasing blood volume during exercise to determine if cardiac overload increases pulmonary vein pressure.

3.    Tests of the effectiveness of nasal strips on mitigating EIPH.

4.    Examination of the difference in blood vessel response to exercise in raced and unraced horses.

5.    Determining the frequency and severity of EIPH during training.

6.    Development of biomarkers for lung inflammation from EIPH.

7.    Assessing stem cell potential to decrease inflammation and repair damage from EIPH.