A patient enters a hospital complaining of stomach pains. Doctors rush to help him, but there is not enough room in the intensive care unit to hold all the patients.
This typically does not happen in human hospitals, but the possibility of it happening at the Equine Intensive Care Unit at the LSU Veterinary School is increasing.
Within the last few years, the number of horses in need of emergency care has increased by 12 to 15 percent, Moore said.
The Vet School hopes to raise enough money to increase the ICU to a 10-stall climate-controlled unit with state-of-the-art equipment, Moore said.
For about 20 years, the Equine ICU has used two stalls to service emergency patients. The hospital itself has about 50 stalls throughout the facility.
Dr. Rustin Moore, director of the Equine Health Studies Program, said the ICU still provides the same service to emergency patients, but not in one enclosed area.
The hospital sees approximately 400 horses a year, with about 20 to 25 percent of those requiring emergency care, Moore said.
Marilyn Rumbaugh, an equine surgery resident, said generally there are more than two horses in the hospital in need of intensive care.
“[The new ICU] would help us provide the utmost care to all cases,” Rumbaugh said. “And it would allow the intensive cases to be housed near each other, so they could be monitored closely at the same time.”
There also will be a group of monitors in the middle of the ICU for technicians to see into the contagious and infectious units along with the labor and delivery units, Moore said.
Initially, the program drew the plans for the ICU four years ago, but unfortunately it is a slow process, Moore said.
The Equine Hospital sees patients from Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Most of the horses treated at the ICU are referred to the hospital by other veterinarians for advanced care or a second opinion, Moore said.
The amount of time an animal spends in the ICU depends on its condition, Moore said. Most patients enter the ICU with intestinal problems, such as colic. Other causes for using the ICU are reproductive issues, newborn foals and traumatic injuries such as fractured bones, Moore said.
There are 15 specialists who work at the ICU, including six surgeons, four internal medicine specialists, three reproductive specialists and two anesthesiologists.
There also are residents and interns in each of the four areas and a technician and nursing staff of 10 to 12 persons.
The new center will cost about $850,000. The school has raised approximately $575,000 in three years through private contributions and fund-raising activities such as auctions.
Last month the Vet School hosted the second multiple-breed Stallion Service Auction to raise money for the new ICU. The auction raised about $21,000 for the unit.
Moore said construction will begin on the new ICU once all of the funding comes in.
“We would have started a year ago,” Moore said. “We are ready to start when most of the funds are received.”