ReviewFrontiers in surgery2022
Prophylactic abdominal drainage following appendectomy for complicated appendicitis: A meta-analysis.
Review in Frontiers in surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abdominal drainage to prevent intraperitoneal abscess after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Advantages comparison of peritoneal drainage versus no drainage after laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis: a meta-analysis.BMC gastroenterology · 2024Pooled it
- Global practices and attitudes in acute appendicitis management: the PAMAP-W international survey and Delphi consensus study on the WSES appendicitis grading system.World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2026Article
- Risk factors for intra-abdominal abscess formation after appendectomy: a multicenter retrospective cohort study from Africa.BMC surgery · 2026Article
- Post-Appendectomy Intra-Abdominal Abscess in Children with Perforated Appendicitis: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Clinical Efficacy of Standardized Care for Abdominal Drainage Tubes in the Treatment of Acute Appendicitis: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Emergency medicine international · 2026Article
- Review
- Review
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- Comparison of early vs. routine removal of abdominal drainage tube after laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Article
- Comparative evaluation of ultrasound-guided versus operative drainage for pediatric appendicular abscess: Effectiveness, safety and clinical outcomes.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Effect of peritoneal drainage on the prognosis following appendectomy in pediatric patients with appendicitis: a retrospective study based on appendicitis grade.Pediatric surgery international · 2024Article
- The utility of intraperitoneal drain placement after laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis in postoperative intraperitoneal abscess prevention.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Prophylactic Intra-abdominal Drains in Major Elective Surgeries: A Comprehensive Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- The impact of enhanced recovery after surgery on inflammatory indicators and prognosis related to complex appendicitis in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: To date, the value of prophylactic abdominal drainage (AD) following appendectomy in patients with complicated appendicitis (CA), including adults and children, has yet to be determined. This paper presents a meta-analysis of the effects of prophylactic AD on postoperative complications in patients with CA, with the goal of exploring the safety and effectiveness of prophylactic AD. Methods: PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles published before August 1, 2022. The primary outcomes were the complication rates [overall incidence of postoperative complications, incidence of intra-abdominal abscess (IAA), wound infection (WI), and postoperative ileus (PI), and the secondary outcome was the perioperative outcome]. The meta-analysis was performed with STATA V. 16.0A. Results: A total of 2,627 articles were retrieved and 15 high-quality articles were eventually included after screening, resulting in a total of 5,123 patients, of whom 1,796 received AD and 3,327 did not. The results of this meta-analysis showed that compared with patients in the non-drainage group, patients in the drainage group had longer postoperative length of hospitalization (LOH) (SMD = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.01-1.35, Conclusion: This meta-analysis concluded that prophylactic AD did not benefit from appendectomy, but increased the incidence of related complications, especially in children with CA. Thus, there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of prophylactic AD following appendectomy.
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Registered trials
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.