In-hospital surgical delay not associated with perforated appendix

Editor's Note

In hospital delay of appendectomy in children was not associated with an increased rate of perforated appendix, this study from Sweden finds.

Of 2,756 children who had an appendectomy for acute appendicitis, 661 (24%) had a histopathologic diagnosis of perforated appendix.

In multivariate analysis, increased time to surgery was not associated with increased risk of perforation. There also was no association between the timing of surgery and postoperative wound infection, intra-abdominal abscess, reoperation, or readmission.

These findings in children are analogous with previous findings in adults and may aid in the utilization of hospital and surgical resources, the authors say.

Abstract Objective: To investigate the correlation between in-hospital surgical delay before appendectomy for suspected appendicitis and the finding of perforated appendicitis in children. Methods: All children undergoing acute appendectomy for suspected acute appendicitis at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden from 2006 to 2013 were reviewed for the exposure of surgical delay.