title: Tracheobronchoscopic assessment of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the interobserver variability of assessment of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) during tracheobronchoscopic examination in horses.
  
  
  METHODS
  747 Thoroughbred racehorses. Procedures-850 tracheobronchoscopic examinations were performed within 2 hours of racing for the horses. Examinations were recorded on videotape, and EIPH and its severity were assessed independently by 3 veterinarians. Concordance was determined by calculation of the Cohen weighted kappa statistic and tabulation of scores assigned by each observer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weighted kappa statistics ranged from 0.75 to 0.80. In 99.4% of observations, all observers agreed or 2 of 3 agreed and the third differed by < or = 1 grade.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicated that interobserver reliability of tracheobronchoscopic assessment of EIPH in Thoroughbred racehorses is high when the examination is conducted by experienced veterinarians. Concordance among investigators is sufficient to justify use of this grading system for further studies and clinical descriptions of EIPH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hinchcliff
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Anthony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Dredge
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McCaffrey
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Slocombe
authors.forename: Andrew F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006736:Horses; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012420:Running