Does Time Till Surgery Affect the Outcome of Uncomplicated Acute Appendecitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Laparoscopic appendectomy is the most frequent on-call surgery done as an emergency. We evaluated the outcome of extending the period from admission till surgery for uncomplicated acute appendicitis in adults. Methods: A retrospective study of all patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy in our department between 2000 and 2010 was conducted. The patients were operated upon by novice surgeons, chief residents, and senior surgeons. Pre-operative variables were compared, as well as surgical outcomes and complications. Results: 887 patients were enrolled. Of these, 749 were uncomplicated acute appendicitis patients. An analysis of the 749 uncomplicated cases of acute appendicitis revealed no association between illness duration and time till surgery upon intraand post-op complications, as seen in uni-variate analysis. When multi-variate analysis was conducted, the same results were attained. Gender and surgical duration were risk factors for further complications. By Adding the 77 patients who suffered from complicated appendicitis did not change the statistical outcome. Conclusion: Delayed appendectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis in adults does not adversely affect 30-day outcomes.