Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34511924›Full record

ArticleJournal of multidisciplinary healthcare2021

Management of Acute Appendicitis During the COVID-19 Pandemic is Significantly Different: A Retrospective Single UK Hospital Study.

Mohammad Noah Hasan Khan, Abdul Basit Jamal, Ahmad Faraz, Hassan Shafique, Muhammad Umar Rasool, Muhammad Waqas Ilyas, Muhammd Hamza Jamshed, Waleed Riaz, Mehwish Usman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mohammad Noah Hasan KhanTrauma and Orthopedic Surgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-7021-3867
Abdul Basit JamalTrauma and Orthopedic Surgery, Ittefaq Hospital Trust, Lahore, Pakistan.ORCID 0000-0003-0096-8970
Ahmad FarazDepartment of General Surgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Hassan ShafiqueTrauma and Orthopedic Surgery, Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
Muhammad Umar RasoolTrauma and Orthopedic Surgery, North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester, UK.
Muhammad Waqas IlyasTrauma and Orthopaedics University Hospital Southampton, Southampton Hampshire, UK.
Muhammd Hamza JamshedTrauma and Orthopedics, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust, Uxbridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7880-1084
Waleed RiazGeneral Surgery Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Mehwish UsmanTrauma and Orthopedics, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in the delivery of acute and emergency surgical services. With emphasis on reducing unnecessary operative intervention and performing more CT scans, there has been a shift in managing acute appendicitis conservatively. We evaluate the impact of this shift on the management of acute appendicitis.

methodsA single UK centre retrospective study evaluating patients with suspected acute appendicitis pre-COVID-19 rota (18 March 2020) and post-COVID rota implementation. Data including demographics, inflammatory markers, imaging, mode of management and operative findings were collected. Logistic regression with SPSS was used to determine which factors were associated with conservative management and treated with antibiotics.

resultsA total of 161 patients were analysed, 82 pre-COVID19 and 79 post-COVID19. Of the pre-COVID-19 patients, 67.07% underwent appendicectomy while the rest were conservatively managed; 24.3% of these patients underwent a CT scan only. Post-COVID-19, 22.78% of patients underwent appendicectomy with a higher percentage of diagnostic CT scans performed, 43/79 (54.4%, p <0.001). The proportion of histologically normal appendicectomies was significantly reduced in the post-COVID-19 era (12.78% vs 0.00%; p-value 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed a normal WCC to be associated with greater likelihood of conservative management. No conservatively managed patients returned to theatre in the 30-day follow-up period.

conclusionDue to the restrictions imposed by the post-COVID-19 rota, a greater proportion of patients were managed conservatively with comparable patient outcomes. The approach also led to fewer negative appendicectomies owing to greater reliance on imaging.

Indexed as

appendicitisCOVID-19imagingnon-operative management

Identifiers

PMID34511924
PMCPMC8421328

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.