EFFECTIVENESS OF FAST TRACT SURGERY PROTOCOL IN APPENDECTOMY: LAPAROSCOPIC APPENDECTOMY VS. OPEN APPENDECTOMY

Introduction: Appendix is a small pouch attached to the beginning of large intestine. Appendicitis, an inflammation of the appendix, is the most common acute surgical condition of the abdomen. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of fast tract surgery protocol in appendectomy. This is basically the comparison of laparoscopic appendectomy vs. open appendectomy. Material and methods: This study was conducted at Health department Punjab during June 2019 to January 2020. This study include 134 patients diagnosed as appendicitis and operated. Their mean age was 33.32 ± 20.80 years (range, 2 to 92 years). OA was performed through right lower quadrant transverse muscle-splitting incision. Results: Of these 134 patients, 85 (63.4%) had acute appendicitis and 20 (20.1%) appendices were perforated. There were 80 patients in the LA group and 54 in the OA group; however, 9 patients had a conversion to an open procedure. The overall SSI rate was not different between the two groups (2.8% for the OA group vs. 4.6% for the LA group, respectively, P=0.204), but the superficial SSI rate was significantly lower in the LA group (3.2% vs. 0.6%, P = 0.016). Conclusion: It is concluded that advantages of diagnostic laparoscopy in patients with abdominal pain, combined with the benefits of laparoscopic appendectomy, suggest that all patients with suspected appendicitis should be considered for laparoscopic appendectomy provided appropriately trained personnel and adequate equipment are available