Medscape: Antibiotic Treatment Alone Less Effective in Children with More Appendicitis Pain
By Lorraine L. Janeczko
Children who have greater acute appendicitis pain may be less likely to improve if they're treated with antibiotics alone, according to a secondary analysis of a nonrandomized clinical trial.
"While approximately 35% of families chose nonoperative management, a high pain score between 7-10 on a 10-point scale nearly doubled in-hospital treatment failure," Rebecca M. Rentea, MD, a pediatric surgeon and the director of the Comprehensive Colorectal Center at Children's Mercy Kansas City, Missouri, told Medscape Medical News in an email.
"Even if nonoperative management of pediatric appendicitis did not work — resulting in the need to remove the appendix in 34% of cases — families were happy with their decisions 1 year later," added Rentea, who co-authored an invited commentary about the study.
Read the full article via Medscape