Readmission after antibiotic management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis in adults: prospective study

Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical cause of acute abdomen. Many randomized studies compare between antibiotic and surgery, and such studies indicated that antibiotics might treat acute appendicitis. However, there are concerns about selection bias in previous studies. Hence, to overcome this worry; we used in this study a full-scale population-based application.

We identified 327 adult patients who were admitted to surgical ward with diagnosis of uncomplicated acute appendicitis between March 2013 and February 2016. All patients received antibiotic therapy after confirming the diagnosis by computed tomography. Endpoints were treatment efficacy, readmission, and complications in 1 year of follow-up.

Of the 327 patients include in this study, 8 (2.5%) patients failed initial non-operative (antibiotic) management and underwent operation during their initial hospitalization. Of 319 available for 1-year follow-up, 280 patients (87.8%) did not require appendectomy; while 39 patients (12.2%) need readmission within 1 year.

Antibiotics are a safe and visible option in acute appendicitis management. This approach needs careful assessment and evaluation for each individual patient before it is used as the first-line therapy.