Studies find early appendectomy to greatly reduce potential dangers for children

A new study suggests that children at risk of having appendix issues may benefit more from an early appendectomy. Specifically, children who have a perforated appendix may notice benefits from having it removed early.

While a delayed surgery is an option, it requires the patient to wait upwards of 2 months to finally have the potentially hazardous appendix removed. The recommended procedure removes the appendix is 24 hours or less following initial hospitalization.

Some believe waiting to perform the surgery may drastically increase infection risks as well.

The study discovered that if the appendix is removed promptly following initial hospitalization, a person notices significantly less health issues including infections and return visits to the ER.

On top of a decrease in potential negative health effects, the study also found that children who receive the appendix ‘early’, return more quickly to normal daily activity — up to 5 days sooner.

This finding is good news for parents as the return to normal activity also allows parents to return to work, improving the overall family outcome.

For the study, 131 children under 18 years old, all having appendicitis, were scheduled either a ‘quick’ appendectomy, or a delayed surgery.

For those experiencing the early surgery, negative effects were at 30 percent while those who received the delayed surgery were as high as 55 percent.

While experts explain that this may not be enough evidence to make a final decision on the matter, they do believe diagnosing appendicitis early to drastically reduce potential negative effects from any procedure.