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Gonçales TA, Moszkowicz TLBDM, Debastiani MS, Parreira MS, Lima JK, Alves RJV, Bica CG. Appendectomy: Cross-sectional study of the effects of COVID-19 in a hospital in South Brazil. Surg Open Sci 2024; 21:1-6. [PMID: 39268330 PMCID: PMC11388162 DOI: 10.1016/j.sopen.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background COVID-19 has further burdened the Brazilian healthcare system, especially emergencies. Patients may have delayed seeking care for surgical abdominal pain. Delays in the approach may have impacted clinical evolution and outcomes. This study evaluated appendectomies and their complications performed by the public system during one-year follow-up of COVID-19 in a hospital in southern Brazil. Materials and methods In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, we included adult patients who underwent appendectomy from March 2019 to April 2021 (n = 162). Patients were divided into pre-pandemic (n = 78) and pandemic (n = 84) groups based on the surgery date. The analyzed variables included hospitalization duration, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, surgical approach, histopathological findings, COVID-19 testing, patient outcomes, and 30-day survival rate. Results The cohorts exhibited similar epidemiology, with the sex ratio and average age being maintained. No statistical difference was found in the 30-day survival rate and clinical outcomes. Of the four patients admitted to the ICU, three belonged to the pandemic cohort and tested negative for COVID-19. Only 47.6 % of the patients in the pandemic cohort underwent COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction examination; one tested positive (2.5 %). Conclusion This study demonstrated that there was no increased risk for appendectomies during the first wave of the pandemic. Surgeries were safe during this period. Patients continued to access the emergency service despite surgical abdominal pain and restrictive measures imposed by health authorities. The similar results observed across cohorts are attributed to the readiness of the teams and the availability of medical surgical equipment in safe quantities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tierre Aguiar Gonçales
- Graduate Program in Pathology at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana Severo Debastiani
- Undergraduate Medicine Program at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Marcos Souza Parreira
- Undergraduate Medicine Program at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Julia Kasali Lima
- Undergraduate Medicine Program at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rafael José Vargas Alves
- Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Health of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Clinical Oncology Department, Hospital Santa Rita, Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Claudia Giuliano Bica
- Graduate Program in Pathology at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Department of Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Health of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Selänne L, Haijanen J, Sippola S, Hurme S, Rautio T, Nordström P, Rantanen T, Pinta T, Ilves I, Mattila A, Rintala J, Marttila H, Meriläinen S, Laukkarinen J, Sävelä EL, Paajanen H, Grönroos J, Salminen P. Three-Year Outcomes of Oral Antibiotics vs Intravenous and Oral Antibiotics for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis: A Secondary Analysis of the APPAC II Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Surg 2024; 159:727-735. [PMID: 38630471 PMCID: PMC11024776 DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.5947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Importance Current short-term evidence has shown that uncomplicated acute appendicitis can be treated successfully with oral antibiotics alone, but longer-term results are lacking. Objective To assess the treatment effectiveness of oral antibiotic monotherapy compared with combined intravenous (IV) and oral antibiotics in computed tomography-confirmed uncomplicated acute appendicitis at a longer-term follow-up. Design, Setting, and Participants This secondary analysis of a predefined year 3 follow-up of the Appendicitis Acuta II (APPAC II) noninferiority, multicenter randomized clinical trial compared oral moxifloxacin with combined IV ertapenem plus oral levofloxacin and metronidazole for the treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The trial was conducted at 9 university and central hospitals in Finland from April 2017 to November 2018, with the last follow-up in November 2022. Participants included patients aged 18 to 60 years, who were randomized to receive either oral antibiotics monotherapy (n = 301) or combined IV and oral antibiotics (n = 298). Interventions Antibiotics monotherapy consisted of oral moxifloxacin, 400 mg/d, for 7 days. Combined IV and oral antibiotics consisted of IV ertapenem sodium, 1 g/d, for 2 days plus oral levofloxacin, 500 mg/d, and metronidazole, 500 mg 3 times/d, for 5 days. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was treatment success, defined as the resolution of acute appendicitis and discharge from hospital without the need for surgical intervention and no appendicitis recurrence at the year 3 follow-up evaluated using a noninferiority design. The secondary end points included late (after 1 year) appendicitis recurrence as well as treatment-related adverse events, quality of life, length of hospital stay, and length of sick leave, which were evaluated using a superiority design. Results After exclusions, 599 patients (mean [SD] age, 36 [12] years; 336 males [56.1%]) were randomized; after withdrawal and loss to follow-up, 582 patients (99.8%) were available for the year 3 follow-up. The treatment success at year 3 was 63.4% (1-sided 95% CI, 58.8% to ∞) in the oral antibiotic monotherapy group and 65.2% (1-sided 95% CI, 60.5% to ∞) in the combined IV and oral antibiotics group. The difference in treatment success rate between the groups at year 3 was -1.8 percentage points (1-sided 95% CI, -8.3 percentage points to ∞; P = .14 for noninferiority), with the CI limit exceeding the noninferiority margin. There were no significant differences between groups in treatment-related adverse events, quality of life, length of hospital stay, or length of sick leave. Conclusions and Relevance This secondary analysis of the APPAC II trial found a slightly higher appendectomy rate in patients who received oral antibiotic monotherapy; however, noninferiority of oral antibiotic monotherapy compared with combined IV and oral antibiotics could not be demonstrated. The results encourage future studies to assess oral antibiotic monotherapy as a viable treatment alternative for uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03236961.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Selänne
- Division of Digestive Surgery and Urology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jussi Haijanen
- Division of Digestive Surgery and Urology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Suvi Sippola
- Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Saija Hurme
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tero Rautio
- Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Pia Nordström
- Department of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | - Tuomo Rantanen
- Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tarja Pinta
- Department of Surgery, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
| | - Imre Ilves
- Department of Surgery, Mikkeli Central Hospital, Mikkeli, Finland
| | - Anne Mattila
- Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, Hospital Nova of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jukka Rintala
- Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Surgery, Rovaniemi Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Harri Marttila
- Department of Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Sanna Meriläinen
- Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
- Medical Research Center Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Johanna Laukkarinen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Hannu Paajanen
- Department of Surgery, Mikkeli Central Hospital, Mikkeli, Finland
| | - Juha Grönroos
- Division of Digestive Surgery and Urology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Paulina Salminen
- Division of Digestive Surgery and Urology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Department of Surgery, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Surgery, Satakunta Central Hospital, Pori, Finland
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V Carvalho AS, Broekema B, Brito Fernandes Ó, Klazinga N, Kringos D. Acute care pathway assessed through performance indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic in OECD countries (2020-2021): a scoping review. BMC Emerg Med 2024; 24:19. [PMID: 38273229 PMCID: PMC10811879 DOI: 10.1186/s12873-024-00938-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted care for non-COVID patients. Performance indicators to monitor acute care, timely reported and internationally accepted, lacked during the pandemic in OECD countries. This study aims to summarize the performance indicators available in the literature to monitor changes in the quality of acute care in OECD countries during the first year and a half of the pandemic (2020-July 2021) and to assess their trends. METHODS Scoping review. Search in Embase and MEDLINE (07-07-2022). Acute care performance indicators and indicators related to acute general surgery were collected and collated following a care pathway approach. Indicators assessing identical clinical measures were grouped under a common indicator title. The trends from each group of indicators were collated (increase/decrease/stable). RESULTS A total of 152 studies were included. 2354 indicators regarding general acute care and 301 indicators related to acute general surgery were included. Indicators focusing on pre-hospital services reported a decreasing trend in the volume of patients: from 225 indicators, 110 (49%) reported a decrease. An increasing trend in pre-hospital treatment times was reported by most of the indicators (n = 41;70%) and a decreasing trend in survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (n = 61;75%). Concerning care provided in the emergency department, most of the indicators (n = 752;71%) showed a decreasing trend in admissions across all levels of urgency. Concerning the mortality rate after admission, most of the indicators (n = 23;53%) reported an increasing trend. The subset of indicators assessing acute general surgery showed a decreasing trend in the volume of patients (n = 50;49%), stability in clinical severity at admission (n = 36;53%), and in the volume of surgeries (n = 14;47%). Most of the indicators (n = 28;65%) reported no change in treatment approach and stable mortality rate (n = 11,69%). CONCLUSION This review signals relevant disruptions across the acute care pathway. A subset of general surgery performance indicators showed stability in most of the phases of the care pathway. These results highlight the relevance of assessing this care pathway more regularly and systematically across different clinical entities to monitor disruptions and to improve the resilience of emergency services during a crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofia V Carvalho
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Bente Broekema
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Dijklander Hospital, Location Hoorn, Maelsonstraat 3, Hoorn, 1624 NP, The Netherlands
| | - Óscar Brito Fernandes
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Niek Klazinga
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dionne Kringos
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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