The outcome measures of the studies were : Wound infection , intra abdominal abscess , length of stay in hospital , and mortality .
The overall result is that the use of antibiotics is superior to placebo for preventing wound infection and intraabdominal abscess , with no apparent difference in the nature of the removed appendix .
Studies exclusively on children and studies examining topical application reported results in favour to the above , although the results were not significant .
Antibiotic prophylaxis is effective in the prevention of postoperative complications in appendectomised patients , whether the administration is given pre- , peri- or post-operatively , and could be considered for routine in emergency appendectomies
BACKGROUND Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention .
The cause of appendicitis is unclear and the mechanism of pathogenesis continues to be debated .
Despite improved asepsis and surgical techniques , postoperative complications , such as wound infection and intraabdominal abscess , still account for a significant morbidity .
Several studies implicate that postoperative infections are reduced by administration of antimicrobial regimes .
OBJECTIVES This review evaluated the use of antibiotics compared to placebo or no treatment in patients undergoing appendectomy .
Will these patients benefit from antimicrobial prophylaxis ?
Complicated appendicitis: is there a minimum intravenous antibiotic requirement? A prospective randomized trial.
The proper duration of postoperative intravenous ( IV ) antibiotics in patients suffering complicated ( perforated or gangrenous ) appendicitis is debatable . Some advocate a set minimum number of IV antibiotic days whereas others discontinue IV antibiotics depending on the patient 's clinical course regardless of the length of therapy . Our objective was to determine whether there are differences in morbidity and re source utilization between the two treatment method ologies . Ninety-four patients with intraoperative findings of complicated appendicitis were included . In all patients IV antibiotics were discontinued on the basis of clinical factors . However , Group 1 patients were given a minimum 5-day IV antibiotic course whereas Group 2 patients had no minimum IV antibiotic requirement . Group 1 patients received more  IV antibiotics  than Group 2 patients did ( 5.9 vs 4.3 days ; P = 0.014 ) . Infectious complications were not statistically different between the two groups ( 13.0 % in Group 1 and 12.5 % in Group 2 ) . Average hospital stay was also not statistically different between the two groups . The data suggest that a protocol with no minimum IV antibiotic requirement in patients with complicated appendicitis does not increase morbidity . Furthermore , the protocol arm with no minimum IV antibiotic requirement led to less IV antibiotic use but did not significantly decrease hospital stay
The outcome measures of the studies were : Wound infection , intra abdominal abscess , length of stay in hospital , and mortality .
The overall result is that the use of antibiotics is superior to placebo for preventing wound infection and intraabdominal abscess , with no apparent difference in the nature of the removed appendix .
Studies exclusively on children and studies examining topical application reported results in favour to the above , although the results were not significant .
Antibiotic prophylaxis is effective in the prevention of postoperative complications in appendectomised patients , whether the administration is given pre- , peri- or post-operatively , and could be considered for routine in emergency appendectomies
BACKGROUND Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain requiring surgical intervention .
The cause of appendicitis is unclear and the mechanism of pathogenesis continues to be debated .
Despite improved asepsis and surgical techniques , postoperative complications , such as wound infection and intraabdominal abscess , still account for a significant morbidity .
Several studies implicate that postoperative infections are reduced by administration of antimicrobial regimes .
OBJECTIVES This review evaluated the use of antibiotics compared to placebo or no treatment in patients undergoing appendectomy .
Will these patients benefit from antimicrobial prophylaxis ?