None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Appendicectomy is the most commonly performed emergency general surgical procedure on children. Overseas studies have routinely shown that rural patients tend to have worse outcomes of appendicitis. Despite approximately 25% of people in New Zealand living in a ‘small urban’ or rural area no study in New Zealand has looked at outcomes of rural children and appendicitis. We aim to investigate the outcomes of rural and urban children who undergo a procedure or surgery for appendicitis across the country. We will look at clinical factors, operative factors, postoperative complicaitons as well as investigate how these families got to hospital and if there were any delays before they arrived.
Interventions
We aim to define the effect of rurality on the outcomes of paediatric appendicitis, a common and time dependent that can act a benchmark proxy for access to acute paediatric surgery. In order to enable robust comparison between rural and urban children we will create a rich data set encompassing prehospital patient variables, clinical and anatomical severity as well as post-operative complications.
In order to do this we will undertake a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study led
We aim to define the effect of rurality on the outcomes of paediatric appendicitis, a common and time dependent that can act a benchmark proxy for access to acute paediatric surgery. In order to enable robust comparison between rural and urban children we will create a rich data set encompassing prehospital patient variables, clinical and anatomical severity as well as post-operative complications. In order to do this we will undertake a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study led by surgical trainees and junior doctors across every hospital that performs acute appendicectomy on children in New Zealand. We will collect data from consenting participants who 16 or under who undergo an acute appendicectomy or interventional radiologic procedure for acute appendicitis during our study period. This will involve prospectively recording relevant clinical, operative and histopathologic information whilst the child is in hospital. This will help us understand the severity of appendiciticits in these patients. In addition, the study collaborator (who will be a doctor or senior medical student) will also ask the parents/caregivers a brief set of questions regarding their prehospital illness and access to hospital. This will enable standardisation and documentation of relevant socioeconomic predictors of health. Data will be collected on postoperative complications and collaborators will follow up with cases until 30 days postoperatively.
Sponsors
Dr Brodie Elliott
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
No minimum to 16 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants will be recruited to the study only if they meet all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. • Aged 16 or below and admitted to an acute surgical ward for investigation and/or management of suspected appendicitis. • Underwent or is planned to undergo acute operative or procedural management for suspected/proven acute appendicitis. ( INCLUDES ‘negative appendicectomies’) OR child has definitive diagnosis of acute appendicitis on imaging and is being managed conservatively. • Has a legally acceptable representative capable of understanding the informed consent document and providing consent on the participant’s behalf
Exclusion criteria
• Was transferred to another District Health Board pre-operatively – however the receiving centre is able to enrol this patient. • Admitted for an elective appendicectomy for a previous episode of appendicitis. • Discharged without diagnosis of appendicitis and didn’t undergo acute appendicectomy. • Inability or unwillingness of participant or legally acceptable representative to give written informed consent.
Outcome results
None listed