This is a retrospective observational study in the form of a cohort study evaluating the use of pre-operative imaging for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in a tertiary centre during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The study group includes all patients who underwent emergency appendicectomy for suspected acute appendicitis between March 2020 and February 2021, while the control group includes all patients who underwent emergency appendicectomy for suspected acute appendicitis between March 2019 and February 2020. The final histology will be used as primary outcome, as the study hypothesis is that increasing the use of pre-operative imaging will reduce the negative appendicectomy rate.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
313
Use of pre-operative imaging or the diagnosis of acute appendicitis
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
London, United Kingdom
Negative Appendicectomy Rate (NAR)
Number of patients with final histology negative for acute appendicitis
Time frame: Up to 3 weeks post-operatively (when final Histology is ready)
Post-Operative Length of Stay
Post-operative length of hospital stay (from post-operative day 1)
Time frame: Assessed on day 30 after the completion of the study
Post-Operative Complications Rate
Number of patients who had post-operative complications
Time frame: Within 30 post-operative days
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