Paediatric Appendicitis Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Has Changed?
- 24 June 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Galenos Yayinevi in Turkish Journal of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine
- Vol. 8 (2), 109-113
- https://doi.org/10.4274/cayd.galenos.2021.05657
Abstract
Introduction: The most common surgical emergency in the paediatric group during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is appendicitis, as it was before. This study aimed to evaluate clinical differences of paediatric appendicitis cases and changes in the management strategy between the pandemic and non-pandemic period.Methods: Cases during the non-pandemic period (March-July 2019) and pandemic period (March-July 2020) were analysed. Demographic data, duration of symptoms, physical examination, laboratory and radiological findings, paediatric appendicitis score (PAS), operative techniques, medical treatment, complications and hospital stay were evaluated retrospectively.Results: This study enrolled 70 patients during the non-pandemic period and 48 patients during the pandemic period. Duration of symptoms was significantly prolonged (p<0.001) and PAS was significantly increased during the pandemic period (p=0.001). Abdominopelvic ultrasonography detected abscess formation in one (1.4%) patient and 10 (20.8%) patients during the non-pandemic period and pandemic period, respectively. Complicated appendicitis was significantly higher (p=0.025) and the hospital stay were significantly longer during the pandemic period (p=0.017).Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer patients presented to the paediatric emergency department with suspected appendicitis. Complicated appendicitis cases and hospital stay increased during the same period. The COVID-19 pandemic caused some changes in our approach to paediatric appendicitis cases such as the effective use of personal protective equipment, PAS scoring system and abdominopelvic ultrasonography.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Clinical Characteristics of 5 COVID-19 Cases With Non-respiratory Symptoms as the First Manifestation in ChildrenFrontiers in Pediatrics, 2020
- COVID-19 not detected in peritoneal fluid: a case of laparoscopic appendicectomy for acute appendicitis in a COVID-19-infected patientLangenbecks Archiv für Chirurgie, 2020
- Delayed access or provision of care in Italy resulting from fear of COVID-19The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 2020
- WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic2020
- A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat originNature, 2020
- Acute appendicitisJournal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2017
- Overview and diagnosis of acute appendicitis in childrenSeminars in Pediatric Surgery, 2016
- Appendectomy conducted with Single Port Incisionless-Intracorporeal Conventional Equipment-Endoscopic SurgeryJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 2010
- Tissue distribution of ACE2 protein, the functional receptor for SARS coronavirus. A first step in understanding SARS pathogenesisThe Journal of Pathology, 2004
- Pediatric appendicitis scoreJournal of Pediatric Surgery, 2002