Pediatric Surgery Department. Alicante General University Hospital. Alicante (Spain).
Cir Pediatr. 2022 Jul 1;35(3):131-134. doi: 10.54847/cp.2022.03.16.
The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on healthcare has already been described, since it has caused an increase in diagnostic delay and morbidity. Our objective was to assess its influence on the development of complications in children with acute appendicitis.
A retrospective cohort study was carried out. It included acute appendicitis patients under 15 years of age treated from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020. They were classified according to diagnosis date as before the pandemic (B) (January 2019-February 2020) and during the pandemic (D) (March 2020-December 2020). According to operative findings, they were classified as complicated appendicitis (perforated/abscess/plastron/peritonitis) and non-complicated appendicitis (catarrhal/phlegmonous/gangrenous). Demographic data, progression time, and postoperative complications were analyzed.
A total of 309 patients were included, 193 (62.5%) in Group B, and 116 (37.5%) in Group D, with an age of 9.2 ± 0.4 and 9.4 ± 0.6 years, respectively (CI = 95%). Diagnostic time was 1.35 and 1.43 days (p>0.05) in Groups B and D, respectively, with ≥ 3 days representing 15.5% of cases in Group B, and 16.4% of cases in Group D (p = 0.84). The proportion of complicated appendicitis was 23.3% in Group B vs. 21.6% in Group D (p>0.05). Postoperative complications were observed in 11.4% of patients in Group B, and in 13.8% of patients in Group D (p>0.05), with intra-abdominal abscess being the most frequent complication in both groups (54.5% of the total complications in Group B vs. 65.5% in Group D; p>0.05).
The management of acute appendicitis and its complications in pediatric patients has not been impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic or the safety measures enforced.
SARS-CoV-2 大流行已对医疗保健产生影响，因为它导致诊断延迟和发病率增加。我们的目的是评估其对儿童急性阑尾炎并发症发展的影响。
进行了一项回顾性队列研究。它包括 2019 年 1 月 1 日至 2020 年 12 月 31 日期间接受治疗的 15 岁以下急性阑尾炎患者。根据诊断日期将其分为大流行前（B）（2019 年 1 月至 2 月）和大流行期间（D）（2020 年 3 月至 12 月）。根据手术发现，将其分为复杂阑尾炎（穿孔/脓肿/敷贴/腹膜炎）和非复杂阑尾炎（卡他性/痰性/坏疽性）。分析了人口统计学数据、进展时间和术后并发症。
共纳入 309 例患者，B 组 193 例（62.5%），D 组 116 例（37.5%），年龄分别为 9.2±0.4 岁和 9.4±0.6 岁（CI=95%）。B 组和 D 组的诊断时间分别为 1.35 天和 1.43 天（p＞0.05），B 组有≥3 天的患者占 15.5%，D 组占 16.4%（p=0.84）。B 组复杂阑尾炎的比例为 23.3%，D 组为 21.6%（p＞0.05）。B 组有 11.4%的患者发生术后并发症，D 组有 13.8%的患者发生术后并发症（p＞0.05），两组中最常见的并发症均为腹腔脓肿（B 组总并发症的 54.5%与 D 组的 65.5%；p＞0.05）。
SARS-CoV-2 大流行或实施的安全措施并未对儿科患者急性阑尾炎及其并发症的管理产生影响。
