Does ambulatory surgery work for open appendectomy?: A review of paediatric cases with appendicitis treated in a single institution

Abstract

Ambulatory surgery for acute appendicitis operated on by open technique has not been yet mentioned before. The authors reviewed a preliminary result of children treated with open appendectomy. The records of 33 consecutive children with acute appendicitis between 2017 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Of them, 25 who underwent appendectomy were either inflammatory or suppurative. Mean age was 115.92 ± 33.82 months. Wound averaged 2.02 ± 0.48 centimetres in length. The average operative time was 37 ± 18.6 minutes. Mean length of hospital stay (LOS) was 21.84 ± 16.2 hours. There were 4 and 16 patients who had a LOS of less than 12 and between 12 and 24, respectively. A small proportion of the patients could meet ambulatory surgery’s criteria. The time at which patients presented to the surgeon causing the operation completed at night and a prolonged duration prior to consultation were the major hurdles in the study. © 2021, Prince of Songkla University. All rights reserved.