Surgical outcomes of emergency open appendectomy for acute appendicitis: an audit of 2268 patients in a single center.

Abstract

Although conservative treatment and laparoscopic surgery are becoming increasingly popular for acute appendicitis, emergency open appendectomy is still performed in many situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the surgical outcomes of emergency open appendectomy for acute appendicitis. Between July 2008 and August 2022, 2,268 patients who underwent emergency open appendectomy for acute appendicitis were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 417 (18.4%) had complicated appendicitis (CA), and 1,851 (81.6%) had uncomplicated appendicitis (UA). Clinical characteristics and both surgical and postoperative outcomes were compared between the groups. The percentage of CA patients increased after 2020, and by age, the proportion was greater for those aged 50 and older. In the CA group, patients were older (55.5 vs 30.0 years, p<0.001) and had more comorbidities (34% vs 12%, p<0.001). Additionally, in the CA group, the operation time was longer (86 vs 55 min, p<0.001), and the rate of postoperative complications was greater (16% vs 3.0%, p<0.001). There was one mortality in the CA group due to postoperative cerebral infarction. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in the CA group (9 vs 5 days, p<0.001). In conclusion, in the CA group, the patients were older and had more comorbidities. Patients who underwent emergency open appendectomy for CA had longer operation times and more complications. This large single-center study provides insights into emergency open appendectomy for acute appendicitis and useful information in terms of comparisons with other treatment modalities, such as laparoscopic appendectomy and elective appendectomy.