Delayed appendicectomy in patients with non-perforated acute appendicitis

Abstract

Background: Appendicitis remains one of the most common diseases encountered by the surgeon in practice. Appendicectomy is the most common urgent or emergency general surgical operation performed. Emergency appendicectomy is believed to be the standard treatment protocol for patients with acute appendicitis. This study was conducted to verify whether acute non-perforated appendicitis requires immediate surgery or can be delayed to be taken up on elective basis.Methods: This is a retrospective study of all the cases undergoing appendicectomy for acute appendicitis over the period of January 2016 to December 2016 in K. R. hospital, Mysuru, Karnataka, India. The cases were divided into two comparison groups: emergency group (operated within 12 hours of admission) and delayed group (operated between 12-72 hours). Parameters like age, sex, duration of symptoms, total leucocytes count, temperature, haemoglobin, radiological investigations, operative procedure, operative time, length of hospital stay, length of post-operative stay were collected and the end points for comparison were: Operative time, perforation rate, post-operative complication, length of hospital stay, readmission rate. Cases of perforated appendicitis in preoperative diagnosis, interval appendicectomy and appendicectomy done in association with other abdominal conditions were excluded from the study.Results: During this one-year period 283 patients have undergone appendicectomy. Out of this 189 (66.8%) patients have undergone surgery within 12 hours of admission and 94 (33.2%) have undergone surgery between 12 to 72 hours of admission. There was no significant difference between the two groups in operative time, per operative perforation rate, post-operative complication rate, readmission rate. Length of the hospital stay was greater in delayed group as compared to emergency group. But there was no significant difference between the post-operative length of hospital stay.Conclusions: Acute appendicitis can be treated surgically in a delayed elective basis without increasing morbidity.