[Septic complications in acute appendicitis. Problems of diagnosis and treatment].

AIM: diagnostic improvement in complicated acute appendicitis (AA) by implementing the new sepsis concepts and modern imaging procedures; optimization of treatment with decreasing postoperation morbidity and mortality and improving the cost-efficiency indicator. 1495 cases of AA admitted between 2000 and 2004 have been assessed retrospectively and among them 306 (20.46%) had complications. On admission 80.43% patients were diagnosed with AA, 17.50% with acute abdominal syndrome and 2.07% with chronic appendicitis. On discharge there were 1158 (77.45%) cases of inflammatory AA and 306 (20.46%) cases of complicated AA (perforation, gangrene, peritonitis, plastron abscess).

TREATMENT: 98.26% of patients under-went operation and 1.73% did not.

SURGICAL PROCEDURES: standard appendicectomy in 1407 (95.77%) cases; laparoscopic appendicectomy in 30 (2.04%) cases; extraperitoneal approach in 15 (1.02%) cases; associated with surgical interventions on other organs in 75 (5.10%) cases. POST-OPERATORY MORBIDITY:128 (41.08%) cases out of 306; septic parietal complications in 102 (33.33%) cases; intraperitoneal complications in 26 (8.49%) cases. POST-OPERATORY MORTALITY: 6 deaths in patients aged over 68.

AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY IN HOSPITAL: 4 days for uncomplicated AA and 14.6 days for complicated ones. Perioperative septic complications are the result of evolution of late diagnosed disease, unjustified postponing of operation, surgical technique, patient health condition.