Thursday 13 August 2020

Five-year follow-up of antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis in the APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial

Long term outcomes are important when trying to understand the usefulness of a non-surgical approach to appendicitis. If all the patients eventually fail and have an appendicectomy, then what is the point?

The Appendicitis Acuta (APPAC) trial out of Finland randomized 530 patients with CT proven uncomplicated acute appendicitis to antibiotics vs. open appendicectomy. Now we have some 5-year data.

The cumulative incidence of appendicitis was 27% at year one, 34% year two, 35% year three, 37% year four and finally 39% by 5 years.

The five year overall surgical complication rate (SBO, surgical infection, incisional hernias, and abdominal pain) was 24%.

These are good statistics to consider when considering shared decision-making.

But there are a few things to remember.

  • All patients got CT prior to randomization to ensure uncomplicated illness. (i.e no perforation, abscess, appendicolith or suspicion of tumor.)
  • They excluded children and adults over the age of 60
  • They used some crazy C diff inducing doses of antibiotics including an IV carbapenem for 3 days followed by an oral fluoroquinolone and metronidazole. (But Augmentin has been used in other studies.)
  • Patients had open appendicectomies. Laparoscopic surgery would be expected to have a lower surgical complication rate.

What’s the take home?

There is now more and more literature consistently demonstrating the decent efficacy of antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis. Decades of surgical tradition is hard to change. But it is getting to the point where patients will need to participate in discussions regarding treatment options.

 

Covering:

Salminen P, Tuominen R, Paajanen H, et al. Five-Year Follow-up of Antibiotic Therapy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis in the APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2018;320:1259-65. [link to article]

 How to Tell If That Pain Is Your Appendix – Health Essentials from  Cleveland Clinic

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