The Impact of Operative Timing on Postoperative Complications in Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Acute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common surgical conditions presenting as acute abdomen. Delaying appendectomy can increase the risk of perforation. However, patients admitted or treated at night have been found to have higher complication rates compared to those treated during the daytime. This study aims to investigate whether the time of day of laparoscopic appendectomy for AA has a significant effect on morbidity and mortality rates.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Patients over 18 years of age who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated AA at the General Surgery Clinic of Mersin University Hospital between 01.01.2020 and 31.12.2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were analyzed according to age, gender, comorbidities, medication use, operative time, duration of pain, need for postoperative intensive care, preoperative laboratory values, time of diagnosis, postoperative complications, and time of surgery, categorized as daytime (08:00-17:00) and nighttime (17:00-08:00). Postoperative complications were compared between patients operated on during daytime and nighttime.

RESULTS

The study was completed with a total of 172 patients. The mean age was 32 (range 18-86). Of the patients, 100 (58.1%) were male. The time of diagnosis was during the day for 78 (45.3%) patients. Based on the time of surgery, 103 (59.9%) were performed during the daytime and 69 (40.1%) at nighttime. Univariate analyses found no statistically significant relationship between postoperative complications and the time of operation.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that in patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis, surgery performed during daytime or nighttime hours yielded similar results in terms of complications.