Frequency of Perforated Appendicitis in Times of COVID-19

Overview

Appendicitis is one of the most common clinical conditions in general surgery. The diagnosis is usually made from clinical examination, imaging (sonography or CT) and laboratory parameters. The laparoscopic appendectomy without drainage has established as the gold standard. Patients usually leave the hospital two days after surgery. In times of corona crisis, patients are unsure to visit the hospital because of fear of infection with SARS-CoV-2. A higher incidence of perforated appendicitis could be an indicator for fear-related delay of going to the hospital. Methods: Investigators performed a retrospective analysis on the incidence of perforated appendicitis in a 10-week interval (mid-March to end of May) of the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 to evaluate possible changes in times of corona crisis. Intraoperative findings, procedures, complications and the length of hospital stay were considered.

The local ethics committee of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, approved this study (AZ: 324/2020BO2). All patients treated for acute appendicitis in a ten week period from 16th of March to 31th of May in 2018, 2019 and 2020 were considered for the study. Investigators analysed the frequency of perforated appendicitis in the periods indicated. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants. Patient's records as well as database were analyzed for therapy specific items. Definition Perforation: Perforated appendicitis was defined as described perforation in the surgical or pathological results. Delay between onset of symptoms and first presentation at the hospital: Patient's records were proved for self-declaration about the start of symptoms

Conditions