Early versus delayed appendectomy: A comparison of outcomes

Area of Science:

• Surgery
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• The optimal timing for performing appendectomy in adults is a subject of ongoing debate.
• Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of time-to-intervention on outcomes following appendectomy for acute appendicitis in adults.
• To determine if delaying appendectomy beyond 8 hours is associated with increased perioperative morbidity, mortality, or readmission rates.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 116 adult patients with acute appendicitis who underwent appendectomy over one year.
• Patients were divided into two groups based on time-to-intervention: within 8 hours (group 1) and after 8 hours (group 2).
• Outcomes including perioperative complications, length of stay, and 30-day readmission rates were compared between groups.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in perioperative complications (6.7% vs. 9.8%, P=0.483) between the early and delayed surgery groups.
• Postoperative length of stay (median [IQR]; 19.5 [11.5-40.5] vs. 20.0 [11.25-58.5] hours, P=0.632) and 30-day readmission rates (2.7% vs. 4.9%, P=0.543) were similar in both groups.
• No mortality was reported in either group.

Conclusions:

• Delayed appendectomy (performed >8 hours after presentation) in adult patients with acute appendicitis is not associated with increased perioperative complications.
• Delaying appendectomy beyond 8 hours does not negatively impact postoperative length of stay, 30-day readmission rates, or mortality.