Effect of an external nasal dilator strip on cytologic characteristics of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in Thoroughbred racehorses

Objective—To determine the effects of an external nasal dilator strip on cytologic characteristics of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in racing Thoroughbreds. Design—Clinical trial. Animals—23 Thoroughbred racehorses in active training. Procedure—Each horse raced on 2 occasions: once while wearing an external nasal dilator strip and once while not. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 12 to 18 hours after each race, and BAL fluid was analyzed for RBC and leukocyte counts and hemosiderin content. Results—Mean ± SEM count of RBCs in BAL fluid when horses raced without the nasal dilator strip (84.6 ± 27.5 cells/µL) was not significantly different from count when they raced with it (41.7 ± 12.2 cells/µL). Horses were grouped as having mild or severe bleeding on the basis of RBC count in BAL fluid after horses raced without the nasal dilator strip. Mean count when horses with severe bleeding raced without the nasal dilator strip (271.0 ± 63.7 cells/µL) was significantly higher than mean count when these horses raced with the strip (93.8 ± 37.6 cells/µL). Mean count of lymphocytes in BAL fluid was significantly lower after horses raced with the external nasal dilator strip. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that use of an external nasal dilator strip in Thoroughbred racehorses may decrease pulmonary bleeding, particularly in horses with severe exerciseinduced pulmonary hemorrhage. ( J Am Vet Med Assoc 2004;224:558–561)