Uptime as a measure of recovery in children postappendectomy
B Eldridge1, C Kimber, R Wolfe
1Physiotherapy Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Activity monitors objectively measured recovery after appendectomy. Children who had laparoscopic surgery showed a marginally faster recovery, indicated by increased upright time, compared to open surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Postoperative Recovery Measurement
Background:
- Appendectomy is a common pediatric surgical procedure.
- Assessing postoperative recovery traditionally relies on subjective patient reporting.
- Objective measurement tools are needed to quantify recovery accurately.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively measure recovery time following open versus laparoscopic appendectomy.
- To utilize an activity monitor (Physical Activity Level 1 - PAL 1) for quantitative assessment.
- To compare recovery trajectories between surgical approaches in children.
Main Methods:
- Children wore the PAL 1 activity monitor continuously for 10 days post-surgery.
- The monitor recorded upright time (uptime) as a measure of activity.
- Data collection commenced within 48 hours of the appendectomy procedure.
Main Results:
- Uptime data were obtained from 42 children (16 open, 26 laparoscopic).
- Laparoscopic appendectomy showed weak evidence of a quicker recovery rate (P =.09).
- By postoperative day 7, laparoscopic patients had significantly higher mean uptime (0.7 hours/day difference).
Conclusions:
- Postappendectomy recovery can be reliably quantified using uptime measurements.
- Children undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy may experience a marginally faster recovery.
- Objective activity monitoring provides valuable insights into surgical recovery patterns.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to objectively measure recovery time after open and laparoscopic appendectomy using an activity monitor (PAL 1).
Methods:
The PAL 1 records the amount of time that the subject is upright (uptime). Children wore the PAL 1 for 10 days continuously, beginning within the first 48 hours postoperatively.
Results:
Uptime data were collected for 5 or more days for 42 children (open, n = 16; laparoscopic, n = 26). All children had low levels of uptime in the initial postoperative period. There was weak evidence of a quicker recovery rate for children in the laparoscopic group (P =.09). The difference in mean uptime between groups was of statistical significance by day 7 postoperatively with children in the laparoscopic group having a higher mean uptime than those in the open group (difference of 0.7 hours; 95% confidence intervals 0.0 to 1.4 hours in a 24-hour period).
Conclusions:
The results of this study show that recovery postappendectomy can be quantified by the measurement of uptime and that children undergoing a laparoscopic procedure may recover marginally more quickly than those undergoing an open procedure.
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