Hospitalization costs of open vs. laparoscopic appendectomy: 5-year experience

Area of Science:

• Surgical Procedures
• Health Economics
• Comparative Effectiveness

Background:

• Ongoing debate regarding laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) versus open appendectomy (OA).
• Focus on hospitalization costs and complication rates.
• Need for comparative analysis of appendectomy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare hospitalization costs and complication rates between LA and OA.
• To analyze patient demographics, length of stay, and associated complications.
• To inform clinical decision-making and resource allocation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of appendectomy charts over a 5-year period.
• Inclusion of both LA and OA procedures.
• Analysis of variables: age, gender, hospitalization cost, length of stay, and complications.

Main Results:

• LA was associated with a 25% higher overall hospitalization cost than OA.
• Uncomplicated LA cases were 1.7 times more expensive than uncomplicated OA cases.
• OA group had a significantly higher complication rate (9.47% vs. 3.96%).
• No significant difference in hospitalization costs for complicated OA and LA cases.
• LA patients were older on average than OA patients.

Conclusions:

• Non-complicated laparoscopic appendectomy incurs higher hospitalization costs.
• Hospitalization costs for complicated appendectomies showed no significant difference between LA and OA.
• Open appendectomy demonstrated a higher incidence of complications.