Towards ambulatorization of appendectomy: Lessons learned during the pandemic.

BACKGROUND

Acute appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Researchers from various countries have evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its diagnosis and treatment, as well as a possible change in its management, such as outpatient treatment. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of acute appendicitis treated during the COVID-19 State of Emergency (SOE) and to assess whether it could be included in an ambulatory surgery program.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study involving patients treated at public hospitals for appendix diseases (K35-K38). We collected sociodemographic and clinical data. The influence of the lockdown on each variable was evaluated with a multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

201 patients were included. The SOE period group comprised 78 patients, and the pre-SOE period (control) included 123 patients who met the same inclusion criteria. The risk of complicated acute appendicitis increased by 1.015 times with age (p = 0.000). The longer surgery time was associated with a 7.265 times higher risk of postsurgical complications (p = 0.000). No differences were observed with respect to drain placement (p = 0.281), although the percentage was higher in 2020 (13.9% vs 19.7%). The length of hospital stay decreased significantly during the lockdown (p = 0.017).

CONCLUSION

The lockdown did not influence the outcome of complicated acute appendicitis from the standpoint of morbidity and mortality, reducing the hospital stay, facilitating the path towards outpatient treatment.