Comparison of Conservative versus Surgical Management of Acute Appendicitis in Terms of Hospital Stay

Abstract

Aim: To compare the hospital stay of patients of appendicitis with conservative or surgical management in context of age and gender. Study design: Randomize Controlled Trial Methods: Purposive sampling technique was used. G power calculator was used to compute the total number of participants. Diagnosed appendix patients (n=100) with equal distribution of treatment conservative (n=50) and appendectomy (n=50) with age ranges of 16 years to 45 years (conservative group=31.26±9.13 and appendectomy group=29.32±7.96) were included. Patients with a final diagnosis of appendicitis presenting within 24 hours of onset were included in the study. While appendicular mass, perforated appendix, gangrenous appendix with signs of peritonitis, patients with chronic co-morbid conditions e.g. DM and patients with bleeding disorders, renal insufficiency, and liver problems were excluded from the study. Demographic form and MANTRELS Score (Alvarado, 1986) were used to collect data of Lahore General Hospital, Lahore by considering all the ethical issues. Total duration of this study was six months. Results: Significant difference (t =10.61: p<0.05) was found in term of hospital stay of patients in conservative group (3.02±0.82 days) and appendectomy group (1.58±0.50 days). Results were also significant on the scores of Alvarado and age. Conclusion: This study showed significant differences in both groups (appendicitis and conservative) in terms of hospital stay, age and gender. Keywords: Appendectomy, conservative treatment, hospital stay