Project Goals

• To determine the risk factors for infectious complications after treatment of perforated appendicitis in children.
• To determine the current treatment standards, current length of stay, and antibiotic therapy in children with perforated appendicitis.
• To develop evidence-based guidelines for prospective study of the management of perforated appendicitis in children.

Study Design

Multi-center observational outcome study for intra-abdominal infectious complications of perforated appendicitis. Study outcomes: development of abcess or phlegmon following appendectomy for perforated appendicitis.

Study Sites

6 medical centers:

• Yale University: Yale New Haven Children's Hospital
• University of Alabama Birmingham: Children's Hospital
• Mississippi Children's Hospital
• Stanford University: Packard Children's Hospital
• University of Pittsburgh
• Loma Linda University Children's Hospital

Data Collection  

• Admission Data
• Transfer Data
• Daily Clinical Data
• Culture & Imaging Reports
• Operative Data
• Complications

Data Management

Customized MS Access database  

Funding

In process.

Timeline

Status: Jan 2006

• Data analysis completed in Oct 2004
• Henry MCW, Walker A, Silverman BL, Gollin G, Islam S, Sylvester K, Moss RL. “Risk Factors for the Development of Abdominal Abscess Following Operation for Perforated Appendicitis: a Multi-Center Case Control Study.” Podium presentation at the New England Surgical Society, September 2005, Breton Woods, New Hampshire
• MCW Henry, G Gollin, S Islam, K Sylvester, A Walker, BL Silverman, RL Moss. “Matched analysis of non-operative management and immediate appendectomy for perforated appendicitis”. Abstract accepted for presentation American Pediatric Surgical Association 37th Annual Meeting, May 2006, Hilton Head, SC.
• Henry MCW, Breuer CK, Moss RL Primary versus delayed wound closure in perforated appendicitis - a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatr Surg Int 21(8);625-630, 2005