Factors Associated with Perforated Appendicitis in Elderly Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

RAMA-WeRA Risk Score in Predicting the Ruptured Appendicitis in Emergency Department; a Multicenter Study for External Validation

Introduction

Distinguishing between ruptured and non-ruptured acute appendicitis presents a significant challenge. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of RAMA-WeRA Risk Score in predicting ruptured appendicitis (RA) in emergency department.

Methods

This study was a multicenter diagnostic accuracy study conducted across six hospitals in Thailand from February 1, 2022, to January 20, 2023. The eligibility criteria included individuals aged >15 years suspected of acute appendicitis, presenting to the ED, and having an available pathology report following appendectomy or intraoperative diagnosis by the surgeon. We assessed the screening performance characteristics of RAMA-WeRA Risk Score, in detecting the ruptured appendicitis (RA) cases.

Results

860 patients met the study criteria. 168 (19.38%) had RA and 692 (80.62%) patients had non-RA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AuROC) of RAMA-WeRA Risk Score was 75.11% (95% CI: 71.10, 79.11). The RAMA-WeRA Risk Score > 6 points (high-risk group) demonstrated a positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 3.22 in detecting the ruptured cases. The sensitivity and specificity of score in > 6 cutoff point was 43.8% (95%CI: 36.2, 51.6) and 86.4% (95%CI: 83.6, 88.9), respectively.

Conclusions

The RAMA-WeRA Risk Score can predict rupture in patients presenting with suspected acute appendicitis in the emergency department with total accuracy of 75% for high-risk cases.

Characteristics of Patients Presented with Complicated Appendicitis in Adama, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Complicated appendicitis (CA) is defined as perforated appendicitis, peritonitis, peri-appendicular abscess, or appendicular mass. One-third of patients who develop appendicitis are diagnosed with CA at presentation. Studies regarding the prevalence of CA are lacking in low-income countries, and the characteristics of patients presented with CA are incoherently identified.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence and the significant characteristics associated with CA among patients admitted with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis at Adama Hospital Medical College.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1, 2018, up to December 31, 2019. From a total of 1043 patients during the study period, the charts of 431 patients were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected by a structured checklist. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the association of patients' characteristics with CA.

RESULTS

Out of 431 patients, 157 (36.4%) had CA. Characteristics of patients having a significant association with CA were found to be generalized abdominal tenderness (AOR: 27.48, 95% CI: 4.03, 187.24), diagnosis with peritonitis (AOR: 14.87, 95% CI: 4.05, 54.54), right lower quadrant (RLQ) abdominal mass (AOR: 7.79, 95% CI: 2.02, 29.99), shock (10.37, 95% CI: 3.18, 33.76), white blood cell (WBC) count >11,000 (AOR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.02, 4.61), onset to visit interval of 8-14 days (AOR: 10.45, 95% CI: 2.4, 45.52) and ultrasound report of acute appendicitis (AOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.85), appendiceal abscess (AOR: 5.05, 95% CI: 1.48, 17.31), and appendiceal mass (AOR: 6.04, 95% CI: 1.45, 25.14).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of CA was very high. Generalized abdominal tenderness, RLQ abdominal mass, shock, WBC count, onset to visit interval, abdominopelvic ultrasound report, and clinical diagnosis of peritonitis were significantly associated with CA.

An extremely rare clinical manifestation of acute appendicitis in a nonagenarian patient: lessons still to be learned

Abstract.

Determination of factors associated with perforation in patients with geriatric acute appendicitis

BACKGROUND

Recognition and management of abdominal emergencies in geriatric patients are more complicated compared to the younger population. We aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics of geriatric patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis and to investigate the factors associated with perforation in the early stages in this study.

METHODS

After obtaining local ethical committee approval, patients 65 years and older who had appendectomy between January 2015 and December 2019 were included the study. Demographic data of the patients, physical examination findings, and laboratory results were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on surgical reports: Perforated and simple appendicitis.

RESULTS

During the study period, 72 patients were evaluated. In our study, 48.6% of the patients were male, and the median age was 71.5 years (IQR 25-75, 68-80). Perforated appendicitis was detected in 28% of the patients. We were determined that the vast majority of patients with perforated appendicitis were male; had more frequent chronic kidney disease and post-operative local complications; had increased leukocytes, neutrophils, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and total bilirubin; and had reduced albumin; and these differences were statistically significant (all values p<0.05). Multivariate analysis shows increased neutrophil count and male sex was significantly associated with perforated appendicitis (p=0.035 and p=0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Geriatric patients with chronic kidney disease can be at higher risk of perforated appendicitis due to inadequate abdominal physical examination results. In addition, male gender and an elevated neutrophil count are independent predictors of perforation.

Conservative management of acute appendicitis in the era of COVID 19: A multicenter prospective observational study at the United Arab Emirates

Background & Aims

Since its emergence in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a profound impact on the health care system worldwide. We propose herein to evaluate the impact of implementing conservative management as an alternative approach to surgical appendectomy during COVID19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods

Our study is a prospective multicenter study that includes a cohort of 158 patients admitted to the surgical departments in both Tawam Hospital and SSMC hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE, from February 2020 till July 2020.

Results

Our results showed a significant decrease in length of hospital stay (LOS) (2.32 ± 0.83 days) among conservatively treated group compared to the surgically treated group (2.8 ± 1.47 days). Also, short term follow-up showed that 90% of those patients did not require further operative intervention or developed complications. Out of the 110 patients that were swapped for COVID19, nine (8.18%) were confirmed to be positive. Our protocol was to avoid surgical management for COVID19 positive patients unless indicated. This resulted in (8/9) of COVID19 positive patients to be treated conservatively.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our results showed that the implementation of conservative management in treating patients with acute appendicitis who were COVID19 positive maybe essential in reducing viral transmission risks as well as avoiding operative risks on COVID19 positive patients.

Clinical Prediction Score for Ruptured Appendicitis in ED

Background

Ruptured appendicitis has a high morbidity and mortality and requires immediate surgery. The Alvarado Score is used as a tool to predict the risk of acute appendicitis, but there is no such score for predicting rupture. This study aimed to develop the prediction score to determine the likelihood of ruptured appendicitis in an Asian population.

Methods

This study was a diagnostic, retrospective cross-sectional study in the Emergency Medicine Department of Ramathibodi Hospital between March 2016 and March 2018. The inclusion criteria were age >15 years and an available pathology report after appendectomy. Clinical factors included gender, age>60 years, right lower quadrant pain, migratory pain, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, fever>37.3°C, rebound tenderness, guarding, white blood cell count, polymorphonuclear white blood cells (PMN) > 75%, and pain duration before presentation. The predictive model and prediction score for ruptured appendicitis were developed by multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Result

During the study period, 480 patients met the inclusion criteria; of these, 77 (16%) had ruptured appendicitis. Five independent factors were predictive of rupture, age>60 years, fever>37.3°C, guarding, PMN>75%, and duration of pain>24 hours to presentation. A score >6 increased the likelihood ratio of ruptured appendicitis by 3.88 times.

Conclusion

Using the Ramathibodi Welawat Ruptured Appendicitis Score (RAMA WeRA Score) developed in this study, a score of >6 was associated with ruptured appendicitis.

Comparison of acute appendicitis before and within lockdown period in COVID-19 era: A retrospective study from rural Nepal

Introduction

The world has been engulfed with the pandemic of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which have created significant impact in the emergency surgical health delivery including acute appendicitis. The main aim of this study was to compare the demographic and clinical parameters between two cohorts before the onset of lockdown and within the pandemic.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed between two groups A and B, who presented with acute appendicitis three months prior to and after initiation of lockdown on March 24 2020 respectively in one of the tertiary centers of Nepal. These two cohorts were compared in demographics, clinicopathological characteristics and surgical aspects of acute appendicitis.

Results

There were 42 patients in group A and 50 patients in group B. Mean age of the patients was 31.32±17.18 years with male preponderance in group B (N = 29). Mean duration of pain increased significantly in group B [57.8±25.9(B) vs 42.3±25.0(A) hours, P = 0.004] along with mean duration of surgery [51.06±9.4(B) vs 45.27±11.8(A) minutes, P = 0.015]. There was significant decrease in post-operative hospital stay among group B patients [3.04±1.1(B) vs 3.86±0.67(A) days, P = 0.0001]. Complicated cases increased in group B including appendicular perforation in 10 cases. Similarly, mean duration of presentation to hospital significantly increased in group B patients with perforation [69.6±21.01 vs 51.57±17.63 hours, P = 0.008].

Conclusion

During the adversity of the current pandemic, increased number of cases of acute appendicitis can be dealt with surgery as the chances of late presentation and complexity of the lesion exists.

Clinical prediction of complicated appendicitis: A case-control study utilizing logistic regression

BACKGROUND

Since high-quality evidence on conservative treatment of acute appendicitis using antibiotics has increased, differentiation of patients with complicated appendicitis (CA) from those with simple appendicitis (SA) has become increasingly important. Previous studies have revealed that male gender, advanced age, comorbid conditions, prehospital delay, fever, and anorexia are risk factors of perforated appendicitis. Elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level and hyponatremia have also been reported as predictive biomarkers of CA. However, confounding between various factors is problematic because most previous studies were limited to univariate analysis.

AIM

To evaluate non-laboratory and laboratory predictive factors of CA using logistic regression analyses.

METHODS

We performed an exploratory, single-center, retrospective case-control study that evaluated 198 patients (83.9%) with SA and 38 patients (16.1%) with CA. Diagnoses were confirmed by computed tomography images for all cases. We compared age, sex, onset-to-visit interval, epigastric/periumbilical pain, right lower quadrant pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, medical history (of previous non-surgically treated appendicitis, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, liver cirrhosis, hemodialysis, chronic lung diseases, malignant tumors, immunosuppressant use, and antiplatelet use), vital signs, physical findings, and laboratory data to select the explanatory variates for logistic regression. Based on the univariate comparisons, we performed logistic regression for clinical differentiation between CA and SA using only non-laboratory factors and also including both non-laboratory and laboratory factors.

RESULTS

The 236 eligible patients consisted of 198 patients (83.9%) with SA and 38 patients (16.1%) with CA. The median ages were 34 years old [interquartile ranges (IR), 24-45 years] in the SA group and 49 years old (IR, 35-63 years) in the CA group (P < 0.001). The median onset-to-visit interval was 1 d (IR, 0-1) and 1 d (IR, 1-2) in the SA and CA groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Heart rate, body temperature, and serum CRP level in the CA group were significantly higher than in the SA group; glomerular filtration rate and serum sodium were significantly lower in the CA group. Anorexia was significantly more prevalent in the CA group. The regression model including age, onset-to-visit interval, anorexia, tachycardia, and fever as non-laboratory predictive factors of CA (Model 1) showed that age ≥ 65 years old, longer onset-to-visit interval, and anorexia had significantly high odds ratios. The logistic regression for prediction of CA including age, onset-to-visit interval, anorexia, serum CRP level, hyponatremia (serum sodium < 135 mEq/L), and glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² (Model 2) showed that only elevated CRP levels had significantly high odds ratios. Under the curve values of receiver operating characteristics curves of each regression model were 0.74 for Model 1 and 0.87 for Model 2.

CONCLUSION

Our logistic regression analysis on differentiating factors of CA from SA showed that high CRP level was a strong dose-dependent predictor of CA.

Consensus Statement of the Italian Polispecialistic Society of Young Surgeons (SPIGC): Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Appendicitis

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common causes of abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention. Approximately 20% of AA cases are characterized by complications such as gangrene, abscesses, perforation, or diffuse peritonitis, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of AA can be difficult, and evaluation of clinical signs, laboratory index and imaging should be part of the management of patients with suspicion of AA.Methods: This consensus statement was written in relation to the most recent evidence for diagnosis and treatment of AA, performing a literature review on the most largely adopted scientific sources. The members of the SPIGC (Italian Polispecialistic Society of Young Surgeons) worked jointly to draft it. The recommendations were defined and graded based on the current levels of evidence and in accordance with the criteria adopted by the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) for the strength of the recommendations.Results: Fever and migratory pain tend to be present in patients with suspicion of AA. Laboratory and radiological examinations are commonly employed in the clinical practice, but today also scoring systems based on clinical signs and laboratory data have slowly been adopted for diagnostic purpose. The clinical presentation of AA in children, pregnant and elderly patients can be unusual, leading to more difficult and delayed diagnosis. Surgery is the best option in case of complicated AA, whereas it is not mandatory in case of uncomplicated AA. Laparoscopic surgical treatment is feasible and recommended. Postoperative antibiotic treatment is recommended only in patients with complicated AA.

Increased risk of perforated appendicitis in patients with schizophrenia and dementia: A population-based case-control study

Previous studies have suggested that patients with psychotic or mental disorders are relatively pain insensitive, resulting in difficulties in the diagnosis of acute intra-abdominal diseases requiring emergency surgeries. We aimed to evaluate whether central nervous system (CNS) or mental disorders are associated with perforated appendicitis in patients with acute appendicitis.We conducted a population-based case-control study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research database. Patients aged >18 years who had been hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis between 2000 and 2013 were identified. After 1:1 matching for age and sex, 2792 patients with perforated appendicitis (case group) and 2792 patients with nonperforated appendicitis (control group) were included. CNS disorders, mental disorders, pain control medication, and several comorbidities were analyzed for the odds of appendiceal perforation with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the multivariable logistic regression model.Schizophrenia and dementia were associated with a high risk of appendiceal rupture in patients with acute appendicitis, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.01 for dementia (95% CI: 1.19-3.39, P = .009) and 4.8 for schizophrenia (95% CI: 1.62-14.19, P = .005). Other factors, such as other CNS disorders, comorbidities, and pain control medication, were not associated with the risk of perforated appendicitis.Dementia and schizophrenia are associated with perforated appendicitis in patients with acute appendicitis. This might be owing to altered pain perception, difficult symptom expression, and delayed hospitalization. Further studies are still needed to determine the underlying mechanism and confirm the causality.

Acute perforated appendicitis in adults: Management and complications in Lagos, Nigeria

Background:

Acute perforation of the appendix is one of the complications of appendicitis that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and hence regarded as a surgical emergency. Risk factors for perforated appencidicits include extremes of age, male sex, pregnancy, immunosuppression, comorbid medical conditions and previous abdominal surgery.

Objectives:

This study focuses on the pattern of presentation, risk factors, morbidity and mortality of patients managed for perforated appendicitis in our centre.

Subjects and Methods:

We conducted a seven-year retrospective review of consecutive adult patients who had surgery for perforated appendicitis in our centre.

Results:

The perforation rate in the study was 28.5%. The peak age of presentation was between 21-30 years. Forty-two (71.1%) of the patients under study were males. Only 3 (5.1%) of the cohorts had history of recurrent abdominal pain. Majority of the patients were in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II (44.1%) and III (42.4%) categories. Surgical site infections (SSI) (18.6%), wound dehiscence (15.2%) and pelvic abscess (13.5%) were the most common complications. The Incidence of SSI was found to correlate with male gender, (P = 0.041), co-morbidity (P = 0.037) and ASA score (0.03) at 95% confidence interval. Routine use of intraperitoneal drain after surgery for perforated appendicitis did not appear to reduce the incidence of pelvic abscess. No mortality in the studied population.

Conclusion:

Appendiceal perforation was more common in male patients with first episode of acute appendicitis. Previous abdominal surgery and comorbid medical conditions were of lesser risk factors for appendiceal perforation in our patients. Surgical site infection was the commonest complication after surgery.

Evaluation of the predictive power of laboratory markers in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the elderly

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the predictive value of preoperative laboratory findings in acute appendicitis in geriatric patients aged >65 years.

METHODS

We enrolled a total of 4121 patients. A retrospective evaluation of the demographic features was made using preoperative laboratory values such as the white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts; platelet counts; the mean platelet volume and bilirubin values; and postoperative pathological data of the patients from the electronic file system. The neutrophil-to-WBC and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios were calculated. Patients were divided into two groups, as geriatric (≥65 years old, n=140) and non-geriatric (<65 years old, n=3981).

RESULTS

The white blood cell and lymphocyte counts, and the neutrophil-to-WBC ratio, were significantly higher in the non-geriatric group (p<0.001, p=0.013, and p=0.021, respectively). The neutrophil and platelet counts were higher in the non-geriatric group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.073 and p=0.072, respectively). A higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was determined in the geriatric group, but the difference was not significant (p=0.176). According to the optimumal cutoff value of 12.11×103/µL for WBC, specificity and sensitivity values of 65.4% and 57.9% were calculated, respectively; the AUC value was 0.632±0.024 (p<0.001). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to calculate the optimum cutoff values of neutrophil-to-WBC ratio, lymphocyte, and the mean platelet volume, but the diagnostic accuracy of these tests was inadequate with an AUC of <0.6.

CONCLUSION

WBC values >12.11×103/µL were predictive of acute appendicitis in geriatric patients. The other parameters were not predictive, and further studies are required.

Perforated vs. nonperforated acute appendicitis: evaluation of short-term surgical outcomes in an elderly population

BACKGROUND

Acute appendicitis is a common acute surgical abdominal condition and despite the majority of cases are observed in children and young adults, its occurrence in the elderly seems to be increasing, with a higher risk of perforation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes following appendectomy for acute appendicitis in the elderly, making a comparison between perforated and nonperforated groups regarding operative time, hospital stay and postoperative complications.

METHODS

The medical records of 48 patients over the age of 60 years who had a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of acute appendicitis from January 2011 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped into those with perforated and those with non-perforated appendicitis (NPA) and a comparison was made between both groups regarding demography, operative time, length of hospital stay and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

From 48 patients over 60 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis, a PA was removed from 10 patients (20.8%). The PA group consisted of 3 males and 7 females, and their mean age was 71.6 years (range 65-84). The NPA group included 22 males and 16 females, and their mean age was 76.5 years (range 63-96). The mean operative time was 58±18.7 minutes and 43.3±9.9 minutes in the perforated and nonperforated groups respectively, with statistically significant difference (P=0.0013). The mean length of hospital stay was similar in the PA group and in the NPA group, being 6.5±1.8 days and 5.4±1.8 days respectively, but these differences were not statistically significant (P=0.093). The frequency of postoperative complications was similar in both groups as they were observed in 3 patients (30%) of the PA group and 10 patients (26%) of the NPA group (P=0.2488). No postoperative intraabdominal abscess was observed in both groups and there was no death after the surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

PA, despite requiring a longer mean operative time, in our series is not producing a longer hospital stay or more postoperative complications compared to NPA. The non-operative management of uncomplicated appendicitis is a reasonable option in frail patients in order to avoid the burden of morbidity related to operation, nevertheless surgery remains the standard of care in all age groups.

Risk factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric emergency patients

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric patients at the emergency department (ED).

Patients and methods

The medical records of 223 consecutive patients aged >60 years with acute appendicitis between 2006 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped into those with perforated and non-perforated appendicitis. A comparison was made between the two groups in regard to baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, physical examination, time from onset of symptoms to ED arrival, time from ED arrival to operation, postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and mortality. Significant factors associated with perforated appendicitis were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression.

Results

A total of 78 (35%) patients had perforated appendicitis. Four significant factors associated with perforated appendicitis were as follows: 1) time duration from onset of symptoms to ED arrival >24 hours (OR 2.49, CI 1.33–4.68); 2) heart rate ≥90 beats/minute (OR 1.93, CI 1.04–3.59); 3) respiratory rate ≥20 breaths/minute (OR 2.54, CI 1.33–4.84); and 4) generalized guarding (OR 12.58, CI 1.43–110.85).

Conclusion

Time duration from onset of symptoms to ED arrival >24 hours, heart rate ≥90 beats/minute, respiratory rate ≥20 breaths/minute, and generalized guarding were the significant factors associated with perforated acute appendicitis in geriatric patients.