Abstract
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the vermiform appendix and is one of the most common causes of an acute abdomen in young adults. If left untreated, it can lead to appendiceal abscess, perforation and peritonitis. To assess treatment outcomes of acute appendicitis and associated factors among admitted patients with a diagnosis of acute abdomen.Methods and materials: A cross sectional study was employed among 169 patients using a census. Data were collected from patient medical records by using a checklist. Data were entered using Epi-data and analysed by statistical product and service solution. Logistic regression analysis was employed. Among 303 patients with a diagnosis of acute abdomen, 169 (55.7%) developed acute appendicitis; of whom, 45 (26.6%) developed unfavourable treatment outcomes. Patients who had elevated white blood cell count at the time of presentation (adjusted odds ratio = 4.7; 95% confidence interval (1.95, 11.35)) and intraoperative appendiceal abscess (adjusted odds ratio = 3.8; 95% confidence interval (1.61, 9.07)) were significantly associated with an unfavourable appendicitis treatment outcome.Conclusion and recommendation: Nearly a quarter of the patients developed unfavourable treatment outcomes. Elevated white blood cell count and intraoperative appendiceal abscess were significantly associated with unfavourable appendicitis treatment outcome. Therefore, early detection and treatment of appendiceal abscess is crucial for a better outcome.
Highlights
Acute abdomen is a sudden onset abdominal disease condition which often requires an immediate surgical intervention
Elevated WBC count at the time of presentation and presence of intraoperative appendiceal abscess were the factors associated with unfavorable treatment outcome of acute appendicitis
The sample size were determined by census sampling method, in which all acute appendicitis cases operated in Debre Markos referral hospital from September 11/2018 to March 9/2019 were included in the study giving a total sample size of 169 patients
Summary
Acute abdomen is a sudden onset abdominal disease condition which often requires an immediate surgical intervention. Appendicitis can cause severe periumbilical pain that radiates to the right lower quadrant, nausea, vomiting and anorexia. If left untreated, it can cause appendiceal abscess, perforation and peritonitis. Acute abdomen is a condition of sudden severe abdominal pain, usually requiring emergency surgery, caused by acute diseases of or injury to internal organs. The incidence of acute abdomen varies among different populations. This discrepancies arise as a result of dietary and socioeconomic differences[5]
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