APPENDECTOMY

Course overview

SINCE APPENDICITIS WAS FIRST DESCRIBED OVER A CENTURY AGO, APPENDECTOMY HAS BEEN THE GOLD STANDARD OF TREATMENT. IT IS AMONG THE MOST COMMONLY PERFORMED SURGERIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY. APPENDECTOMY IS A RELATIVELY SAFE PROCEDURE, WITH A MORTALITY RATE RANGING FROM 0.09% TO 0.24 %, AND SERVES AS THE DEFINITIVE TREATMENT FOR APPENDICITIS. OPEN AND LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY ARE THE TWO APPROACHES USED TO PERFORM APPENDECTOMIES. IN RECENT YEARS, RATES OF LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY HAVE SURPASSED THAT OF OPEN SURGERY IN BOTH NONPERFORATED AND PERFORATED APPENDICITIS. LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY IS THE PREFERRED TREATMENT FOR SPECIFIC POPULATIONS WITH UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS, SUCH AS PREGNANT WOMEN, PEDIATRIC PATIENTS, OLDER ADULTS, AND INDIVIDUALS WITH OBESITY. LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED WOUND INFECTION RATES, LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY, AND MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS APPENDECTOMIES AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WHO UNDERGO APPENDECTOMY.