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Decker E, Ndzi A, Kenny S, Harwood R. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Compare the Short- and Long-term Outcomes of Non-operative Management With Early Operative Management of Simple Appendicitis in Children After the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Pediatr Surg 2024; 59:1050-1057. [PMID: 38158255 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-operative management (NOM) of simple appendicitis is becoming an increasingly researched treatment option. This systematic review aims to describe the short and long-term failure rates of NOM and the complication rate of appendicectomy in children with simple appendicitis. METHODS The systematic review was registered a priori (CRD42022322149). Study inclusion criteria are: participants aged ≤ 18 years of age; groups undergoing both NOM and appendicectomy for simple appendicitis; outcomes including one or more of: NOM failure rate at 30 days or 1 year and beyond; study design: RCT or case control study. Four databases were searched and 3 reviewers determined study eligibility and data extraction. Risk of bias was assessed and meta-analysis was performed using Stata. RESULTS The database search identified 2731 articles, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria; 4 RCTs and 10 case controlled studies. All studies had moderate-serious risk of bias. There were no deaths in either group in any study. Meta-analysis demonstrated a 30 day failure rate of 20 % (95 % CI 11-29 %) and 11 studies reported failure rate at 1 year or beyond at 32 % (95 % CI 25-38 %). Rates of significant complications of appendicectomy was 1 % (95 % CI 0-1 %). CONCLUSIONS Non-operative management of simple appendicitis in children is safe, with moderate early success. The failure rate increases over time, resulting in eventual appendicectomy in a third of the children diagnosed with appendicitis. These data will enable clinicians to have an informed discussion with children and their parents about their treatment options for simple appendicitis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Decker
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Agnes Ndzi
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Simon Kenny
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; ISMIB, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Children and Young People Transformation Programme, NHSE/I, UK
| | - Rachel Harwood
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; ISMIB, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Children and Young People Transformation Programme, NHSE/I, UK.
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Faitna P, Harwood R, Kenny SE, Viner RM, Aylin PP, Hargreaves DS, Bottle A. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical management trends for acute appendicitis among the under-25s: a retrospective study. Arch Dis Child 2024; 109:339-346. [PMID: 38325911 PMCID: PMC10958286 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2023-326313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on acute appendicitis management on children and young people (CYP). DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING All English National Health Service hospitals. PATIENTS Acute appendicitis admissions (all, simple, complex) by CYP (under-5s, 5-9s, 10-24s). EXPOSURE Study pandemic period: February 2020-March 2021. Comparator pre-pandemic period: February 2015-January 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Monthly appendicectomy and laparoscopic appendicectomy rate trends and absolute differences between pandemic month and the pre-pandemic average. Proportions of appendicitis admissions comprising complex appendicitis by hospital with or without specialist paediatric centres were compared. RESULTS 101 462 acute appendicitis admissions were analysed. Appendicectomy rates fell most in April 2020 for the 5-9s (-18.4% (95% CI -26.8% to -10.0%)) and 10-24s (-28.4% (-38.9% to -18.0%)), driven by reductions in appendicectomies for simple appendicitis. This was equivalent to -54 procedures (-68.4 to -39.6) and -512 (-555.9 to -467.3) for the 5-9s and 10-24s, respectively. Laparoscopic appendicectomies fell in April 2020 for the 5-9s (-15.5% (-23.2% to -7.8%)) and 10-24s (-44.8% (-57.9% to -31.6%) across all types, which was equivalent to -43 (-56.1 to 30.3) and -643 (-692.5 to -593.1) procedures for the 5-9s and 10-24s, respectively. A larger proportion of complex appendicitis admissions were treated within trusts with specialist paediatric centres during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS For CYP across English hospitals, a sharp recovery followed a steep reduction in appendicectomy rates in April 2020, due to concerns with COVID-19 transmission. This builds on smaller-sized studies reporting the immediate short-term impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puji Faitna
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Harwood
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK
| | - Simon E Kenny
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK
- National Clinical Director for Children and Young People, NHS England and NHS Improvement, London, UK
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Russell M Viner
- Population, Policy and Practice Research Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Paul P Aylin
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dougal S Hargreaves
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Mohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Alex Bottle
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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The SMML, van Amstel P, Noordzij SM, Bakx R, Bijlsma TS, Derikx JPM, van Heurn LWE, van der Kuip M, Gorter RR. Trends in Simple and Complex Appendicitis in Children and the Potential Correlation to Common Viral Pathogens-A Retrospective Cohort Study between 2010 and 2019 in The Netherlands. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1912. [PMID: 38136114 PMCID: PMC10741496 DOI: 10.3390/children10121912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the annual, seasonal and monthly trends in children with simple and complex appendicitis and their correlation to common viral pathogens in the Netherlands. A consecutive multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed between 2010 and 2019 including children (<18 years) surgically treated for appendicitis. The primary outcome was the distribution of children with simple and complex appendicitis per year, season and month. Relevant seasonal variation was defined as ≥5%. The secondary outcome was a positive correlation of the number of patients with simple and complex appendicitis to common viral pathogens (data anonymously provided by the Dutch Working Group on Clinical Virology from the Dutch Society for Clinical Microbiology (NVMM)). In total, 896 patients were included: N = 524 (58%) patients with simple and N = 372 (42%) with complex appendicitis. Of the children aged 0-5 years, 81% had complex appendicitis, versus 38% in 6-18 years (p < 0.001). An overall decline was demonstrated for both simple and complex appendicitis between 2010 and 2019. No seasonal variation was found for simple appendicitis. For complex appendicitis, the highest number of patients was found in spring, and lowest in summer (N = 372, spring 28.2 ± 5.1% versus summer 21.0 ± 5.8%, p = 0.011), but the variance was regarded as not relevant (<5% from baseline). A positive correlation was found between complex appendicitis with Adenovirus 40.41 (R = 0.356, 95%CI 0.045-0.604, p = 0.026) and simple appendicitis with Adenovirus NON 40.41 (R = 0.332, 95%CI 0.019-0.586, p = 0.039), but these correlations did not remain significant after a Bonferroni correction (p < 0.003). In conclusion, we found no relevant seasonal variation for simple or complex appendicitis, nor positive correlation with common viral pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah-May M. L. The
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul van Amstel
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sophie M. Noordzij
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Department of Surgery, Northwest Hospital, 1815 JD Alkmaar, The Netherlands;
| | - Roel Bakx
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Taco. S. Bijlsma
- Department of Surgery, Northwest Hospital, 1815 JD Alkmaar, The Netherlands;
| | - Joep. P. M. Derikx
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - L. W. Ernest van Heurn
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn van der Kuip
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Ramon R. Gorter
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (S.-M.M.L.T.); (P.v.A.); (S.M.N.); (R.B.); (J.P.M.D.); (L.W.E.v.H.)
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism Research Institute, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Miscia ME, Lauriti G, Di Renzo D, Cascini V, Lisi G. Management and outcomes of acute appendicitis in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatr Surg Int 2023; 40:11. [PMID: 38017246 PMCID: PMC10684649 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-023-05594-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way to manage the emergencies, as people faced fear of the hospitals, with possible delay in the diagnosis. Moreover, clinicians had to rearrange protocols for diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to assess whether COVID-19 pandemic influenced severity of inflammation, management, and outcomes of acute appendicitis (AA), when compared to the pre-COVID era. Using defined search strategy, two independent investigators identified those studies comparing pediatric AA during COVID-19 pandemic versus the pre-COVID-19 period. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Data are mean ± SD. Of 528 abstracts, 36 comparative studies were included (32,704pts). Time from symptoms onset to surgery was longer during the pandemics compared to the pre-COVID-19 (1.6 ± 0.9 versus 1.4 ± 0.9 days; p < 0.00001). Minimally Invasive Surgery was similar during COVID-19 (70.4 ± 30.2%) versus control period (69.6 ± 25.3%; p = ns). Complicated appendicitis was increased during the pandemics (35.9 ± 14.8%) compared to control period (33.4 ± 17.2%; p < 0.0001). Post-operative complications were comparable between these two groups (7.7 ± 6.5% versus 9.1 ± 5.3%; p = ns). It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the time of diagnosis, severity of inflammation, and type of surgery. However, the number of post-operative complications was not different between the two groups, leading to the conclusion that the patients were correctly managed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3 Meta-analysis on Level 3 studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Enrica Miscia
- Department of Medicine and Aging Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via L. Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Spirito Santo" Hospital of Pescara, Pescara, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lauriti
- Department of Medicine and Aging Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via L. Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Spirito Santo" Hospital of Pescara, Pescara, Italy.
| | - Dacia Di Renzo
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Spirito Santo" Hospital of Pescara, Pescara, Italy
| | - Valentina Cascini
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Spirito Santo" Hospital of Pescara, Pescara, Italy
| | - Gabriele Lisi
- Department of Medicine and Aging Science, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via L. Polacchi 11, 66100, Chieti, Italy
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Spirito Santo" Hospital of Pescara, Pescara, Italy
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Pantalos G, Papachristidou S, Mavrigiannaki E, Zavras N, Vaos G. Reasons for Delayed Diagnosis of Pediatric Acute Appendicitis during the COVID-19 Era: A Narrative Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2571. [PMID: 37568934 PMCID: PMC10417690 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13152571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Global pandemics cause health system disruptions. The inadvertent disruption in surgical emergency care during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the topic of several published studies. Our aim was to summarize the reasons that led to the delayed diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis during the COVID-19 era. This systematic literature search evaluated studies containing pediatric appendicitis patient data regarding outcomes, times to hospital admission or times from symptom onset to emergency department visit. Studies elucidating reasons for delays in the management of pediatric appendicitis were also reviewed. Ultimately, 42 studies were included. Several reasons for delayed diagnosis are analyzed such as changes to public health measures, fear of exposure to COVID-19, increased use of telemedicine, COVID-19 infection with concurrent acute appendicitis, recurrence of appendicitis after non-operative management and increased time to intraoperative diagnosis. Time to hospital admission in conjunction with patient outcomes was extracted and analyzed as an indicative measure of delayed management. Delayed diagnosis of acute appendicitis has been documented in many studies with various effects on outcomes. Suspicion of pediatric acute appendicitis must always lead to prompt medical examination, regardless of pandemic status. Telemedicine can be valuable if properly applied. Data from this era can guide future health system policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Pantalos
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Penteli General Children’s Hospital, 15236 Athens, Greece
| | - Smaragda Papachristidou
- Second Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, P. & A. Kyriakou Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Eleftheria Mavrigiannaki
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Attikon” General University Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece; (E.M.); (G.V.)
| | - Nikolaos Zavras
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Attikon” General University Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece; (E.M.); (G.V.)
| | - George Vaos
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Attikon” General University Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece; (E.M.); (G.V.)
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Andersson RE, Agiorgiti M, Bendtsen M. Spontaneous Resolution of Uncomplicated Appendicitis may Explain Increase in Proportion of Complicated Appendicitis During Covid-19 Pandemic: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. World J Surg 2023; 47:1901-1916. [PMID: 37140609 PMCID: PMC10158710 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-023-07027-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reports of an increased proportion of complicated appendicitis during the Covid-19 pandemic suggest a worse outcome due to delay secondary to the restrained access to health care, but may be explained by a concomitant decrease in uncomplicated appendicitis. We analyze the impact of the pandemic on the incidences of complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis. METHOD We did a systematic literature search in the PubMed, Embase and Web Of Science databases on December 21, 2022 with the search terms (appendicitis OR appendectomy) AND ("COVID" OR SARS-Cov2 OR "coronavirus"). Studies reporting the number of complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis during identical calendar periods in 2020 and the pre-pandemic year(s) were included. Reports with indications suggesting a change in how the patients were diagnosed and managed between the two periods were excluded. No protocol was prepared in advance. We did random effects meta-analysis of the change in proportion of complicated appendicitis, expressed as the risk ratio (RR), and of the change in number of patients with complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis during the pandemic compared with pre-pandemic periods, expressed as the incidence ratio (IR). We did separate analyses for studies based on single- and multi-center and regional data, age-categories and prehospital delay. RESULTS The meta-analysis of 100,059 patients in 63 reports from 25 countries shows an increase in the proportion of complicated appendicitis during the pandemic period (RR 1.39, 95% confidence interval (95% CI 1.25, 1.53). This was mainly explained by a decreased incidence of uncomplicated appendicitis (incidence ratio (IR) 0.66, 95% CI 0.59, 0.73). No increase in complicated appendicitis was seen in multi-center and regional reports combined (IR 0.98, 95% CI 0.90, 1.07). CONCLUSION The increased proportion of complicated appendicitis during Covid-19 is explained by a decrease in the incidence of uncomplicated appendicitis, whereas the incidence of complicated appendicitis remained stable. This result is more evident in the multi-center and regional based reports. This suggests an increase in spontaneously resolving appendicitis due to the restrained access to health care. This has important principal implications for the management of patients with suspected appendicitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland E Andersson
- Department of Surgery, County Hospital Ryhov, Box 1024, SE 551 11, Jönköping, Region Jönköpings Län, Sweden.
- Futurum, Academy for Health and Care, Jönköping, Region Jönköpings Län, Sweden.
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Maria Agiorgiti
- Bra Liv Eksjö Primary Care Centre, Eksjö, Region Jönköping County, Sweden
- Department of Experimental Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Marcus Bendtsen
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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