scholarly journals Impact of an acute Care Surgery Model on the Management of acute Appendicitis in South Korea: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Author(s):  
Gun-Hee Yi ◽  
Hak-Jae Lee ◽  
Seul Lee ◽  
Jong-Hee Yoon ◽  
Suk-Kyung Hong

Abstract BackgroundThe acute care surgery (ACS) system is a new model for the prompt management of diseases that require rapid treatment in patients with acute abdomen. This study compared the outcomes and characteristics of the ACS system and traditional on-call system (TROS) for acute appendicitis in South Korea.MethodsThis single-center, retrospective study included all patients (aged ≥18 years) who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis in 2016 and 2018. The TROS and ACS system were used for the 2016 and 2018 groups, respectively. We retrospectively obtained data on each patient from the electrical medical records. The independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for continuous and non-normally distributed data, respectively.ResultsIn total, 126 patients were included. The time taken to get from the emergency room admission to the operating room, operation times, and postoperative complication rates were similar between both groups. However, the length of the hospital stay was shorter in the ACS group than in the TROS group (4.3±3.2 days vs. 7.2±9.6 days, p=0.039).ConclusionsSince the introduction of the ACS system, the length of hospital stay for surgical patients has decreased. This may be due to the application of an integrated medical procedure, such as a new clinical pathway, rather than differences in the surgical techniques.Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gun-Hee Yi ◽  
Hak-Jae Lee ◽  
Seul Lee ◽  
Jong-Hee Yoon ◽  
Suk-Kyung Hong

Abstract Background The acute care surgery (ACS) system is a new model for the prompt management of diseases that require rapid treatment in patients with acute abdomen. This study compared the outcomes and characteristics of the ACS system and traditional on-call system (TROS) for acute appendicitis in South Korea. Methods This single-center, retrospective study included all patients (aged ≥18 years) who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis in 2016 and 2018. The TROS and ACS system were used for the 2016 and 2018 groups, respectively. We retrospectively obtained data on each patient from the electrical medical records. The independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for continuous and non-normally distributed data, respectively.Results In total, 126 patients were included. The time taken to get from the emergency room admission to the operating room, operation times, and postoperative complication rates were similar between both groups. However, the length of the hospital stay was shorter in the ACS group than in the TROS group (4.3±3.2 days vs. 7.2±9.6 days, p=0.039).Conclusions Since the introduction of the ACS system, the length of hospital stay for surgical patients has decreased. This may be due to the application of an integrated medical procedure, such as a new clinical pathway, rather than differences in the surgical techniques.Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Gun-Hee Yi ◽  
Hak-Jae Lee ◽  
Seul Lee ◽  
Jong-Hee Yoon ◽  
Suk-Kyung Hong

Background. The acute care surgery (ACS) system is a new model for the prompt management of diseases that require rapid treatment in patients with acute abdomen. This study compared the outcomes and characteristics of the ACS system and traditional on-call system (TROS) for acute appendicitis in South Korea. Methods. This single-center, retrospective study included all patients (aged ≥18 years) who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis in 2016 and 2018. The TROS and ACS system were used for the 2016 and 2018 groups, respectively. We retrospectively obtained data on each patient from the electrical medical records. The independent samples t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used for continuous and nonnormally distributed data, respectively. Results. In total, 126 patients were included. The time taken to get from the emergency room admission to the operating room, operation times, and postoperative complication rates were similar between both groups. However, the length of the hospital stay was shorter in the ACS group than in the TROS group (4.3 ± 3.2 days vs. 7.2 ± 9.6 days, p = 0.039 ). Conclusions. Since the introduction of the ACS system, the length of hospital stay for surgical patients has decreased. This may be due to the application of an integrated medical procedure, such as a new clinical pathway, rather than differences in the surgical techniques.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gun-Hee Yi ◽  
Hak-Jae Lee ◽  
Seul Lee ◽  
Jong-Hee Yoon ◽  
Suk-Kyung Hong

Abstract BackgroundThe acute care surgery (ACS) system is a new model for the prompt management of diseases that require rapid treatment in patients with acute abdomen. This study compared the outcomes and characteristics of the ACS system and traditional on-call system (TROS) for acute appendicitis in South Korea. MethodsThis single-center, retrospective study included all patients (aged ≥18 years) who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis in 2016 and 2018. The TROS and ACS system were used for the 2016 and 2018 groups, respectively. We retrospectively obtained data on each patient from the electrical medical records. The independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for continuous and non-normally distributed data, respectively.ResultsIn total, 126 patients were included. The time taken to get from the emergency room admission to the operating room, operation times, and postoperative complication rates were similar between both groups. However, the length of the hospital stay was shorter in the ACS group than in the TROS group (4.3±3.2 days vs. 7.2±9.6 days, p=0.039).ConclusionsSince the introduction of the ACS system, the length of hospital stay for surgical patients has decreased. This may be due to the application of an integrated medical procedure, such as a new clinical pathway, rather than differences in the surgical techniques.Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egide Abahuje ◽  
Isaie Sibomana ◽  
Elisee Rwagahirima ◽  
Christian Urimubabo ◽  
Robert Munyaneza ◽  
...  

BackgroundAcute care surgery (ACS) encompasses trauma, critical care, and emergency general surgery. Due to high volumes of emergency surgery, an ACS service was developed at a referral hospital in Rwanda. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of ACS and understand the impact of an ACS service on patient outcomes.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational study of ACS patients before and after introduction of an ACS service. χ2 test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to describe the epidemiology and compare outcomes before (pre-ACS)) and after (post-ACS) implementation of the ACS service.ResultsData were available for 120 patients before ACS and 102 patients after ACS. Diagnoses included: intestinal obstruction (n=80, 36%), trauma (n=38, 17%), appendicitis (n=31, 14%), and soft tissue infection (n=17, 8%) with no difference between groups. The most common operation was midline laparotomy (n=138, 62%) with no difference between groups (p=0.910). High American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (ASA ≥3) (11% vs. 40%, p<0.001) was more common after ACS. There was no difference in intensive care unit admission (8% vs. 8%, p=0.894), unplanned reoperation (22% vs. 13%, p=0.082), or mortality (10% vs. 11%, p=0.848). The median length of hospital stay was longer (11 days vs. 7 days, p<0.001) before ACS.ConclusionsAn ACS service can be implemented in a low-resource setting. In Rwanda, ACS patients are young with few comorbidities, but high rates of mortality and morbidity. In spite of more patients who are critically ill in the post-ACS period, implementation of an ACS service resulted in decreased length of hospital stay with no difference in morbidity and mortality.Level of evidencePrognostic and epidemiologic study type, level III.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 859-870
Author(s):  
Orly Nadell Farber ◽  
Giselle I Gomez ◽  
Ashley L Titan ◽  
Andrea T Fisher ◽  
Christopher J Puntasecca ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Lotfallah ◽  
A Aamery ◽  
G Moussa

Abstract Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic provoked a change to normal surgical practice and led to a higher proportion of acute appendicitis (AA) patients being treated conservatively with antibiotics. We aim to analyse patients presenting with AA during the first wave of the pandemic, comparing surgically and conservatively managed patients. Method All patients presenting to our centre with AA between March and July 2020 were included. Six-month follow-up data was collected retrospectively using electronic records. Patients were categorised into surgically and conservatively managed groups. The primary outcome was the complication rate (post-operative complications vs failure of antibiotic treatment) and the secondary outcome was length of hospital stay. Results Fifty-seven patients (n = 57) were admitted with AA, 45.6% (n = 26) managed conservatively compared to 54.4% (n = 31) treated surgically. Higher complication rates were observed amongst the conservatively managed group, although not statistically significant (16% vs 35%; p = 0.131). There was no significant difference in length of hospital stay observed between the two groups (surgical: median, 2; interquartile range, 2-3 vs conservative: median, 3; interquartile range, 2-4). White cell count (WCC) and Alvarado score were higher on admission in the surgical group with statistical significance (p = 0.012 and p = 0.028 respectively). Conclusions Stratification criteria, such as Alvarado score and WCC may identify patients more suitable for conservative management. Longer term follow-up will be carried out, which may alter complication rates in either group. We suggest all patients treated conservatively should undergo computerised tomography (CT) to exclude complicated appendicitis. Further UK-based studies will add to the evidence-base surrounding management of AA during the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Başer ◽  
Mehmet Kağan Katar

Abstract Background: Our aim in this study was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute appendicitis cases.Methods: This study was designed as a single-center, retrospective, and observational study. The patients were divided into three groups relative to the date of the first COVID-19 case in Turkey, which was March 10, 2020 (Group A: before the pandemic; Group B: pandemic period; Group C: the same period one year before the pandemic). A total of 413 patients were included in the study.Results: In terms of treatment modality, the rate of open appendectomy was significantly higher in group B (p<0.001). Rates of conversion to open surgery, as well as rates of complicated appendicitis were also significantly higher in group B (p=0.027, p=0.024, respectively). While there was no difference between the groups in terms of preoperative hospitalization duration (p=0.102), it was found that the duration of symptoms, operation time, and postoperative length of hospital stay were significantly higher in Group B (p<0.001, p=0.011, p=0.001, respectively). In addition, the complication rate in group B (8.9%) was also significantly higher than in the other two groups (p=0.023).Conclusion: We found that the rate of open surgery, the rate of conversion of laparoscopic surgery to open surgery, complication rates, mean operation time, and postoperative hospital stay were significantly higher in acute appendicitis patients that underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic period. We believe that the main reason for this negative outcome is the late admission of the patients to the hospital.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 1250-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Paul Wright ◽  
Amie M. Ecker ◽  
David J. Hobbs ◽  
Alexander W. Wilkes ◽  
Richard S. Hagelberg ◽  
...  

Acute care surgery (ACS) programs have emerged mainly at academic medical centers to provide timely care for emergency general surgery and trauma patients. We hypothesized that the development of an ACS program in a multispecialty group practice would improve outcomes for patients with acute appendicitis. A retrospective analysis of patients with acute appendicitis was performed in two time periods: 18 months of private practice and the following 12 months with ACS coverage. Length of stay was the primary outcome measure. A total of 871 patients were studied (526 private practice, 345 ACS). The ACS group had a greater proportion of laparoscopic appendectomies ( P < 0.001) and more transitions in care between surgeons ( P < 0.001). Length of stay was shorter in the ACS group (1.6 ± 1.5 [mean ± standard deviation] vs 1.9 ± 2.4 days, P = 0.01) and a greater proportion of surgeries were performed during the daytime (44.9 vs 36.6%, P = 0.02). Multivariate analysis demonstrated length of stay was related to appendicitis grade ( P < 0.001), American Society of Anesthesiologists class ( P < 0.001), symptom duration ( P = 0.001), and laparoscopic approach ( P < 0.001). The initial transition from private practice to ACS resulted in decreased length of stay with no increase in morbidity related to transitions of surgical care in patients with appendicitis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 1318-1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briana Lau ◽  
L. Andrew Difronzo

In October 2009, an acute care surgery (ACS) model was implemented to facilitate urgent surgical consults. This study examines the impact of ACS on the timeliness of care and length of hospitalization for patients with acute cholecystitis. A retrospective cohort study was performed of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute cholecystitis who underwent early cholecystectomy. Patients with choledocholithiasis, pancreatitis, biliary colic, or cholelithiasis without cholecystitis were excluded. There were two study cohorts: ACS (October 2009 to July 2010) and pre-ACS (October 2008 to September 2009). Primary outcome measures were length of stay (LOS) and time from the ED to the operating room (OR). One hundred fifty-two cases were identified: 71 in the ACS group and 81 in the pre-ACS group. Patient demographics were similar. The ACS group had a significantly shorter average time from the ED to the OR (24.6 vs 35.0 hours, P = 0.0276). Overall LOS was reduced by a mean of 14.7 hours in the ACS group (mean 3.23 vs 2.63 days, P = 0.11). There was no significant difference in OR time (2.45 vs 2.38 hours, P = 0.562). There was a significant decrease in after-hours cases in the ACS group (5.6 vs 21%, P = 0.004) and a decrease in complication rates (18.5 vs 7.0%, P = 0.032). In conclusion, the ACS model decreased time from the ED to the OR, decreased after-hours cases, decreased length of hospitalization, and decreased complications for patients with acute cholecystitis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 208 (5) ◽  
pp. 794-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Yuan Fu ◽  
Hung-Chang Huang ◽  
Ray-Jade Chen ◽  
Hsun-Chung Tsuo ◽  
Hsiu-Jung Tung

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