Effect of COVID-19 on the Treatment of Acute Appendicitis

Abstract Background: There has been debate on delaying an appendectomy for acute appendicitis because of the possibility of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection being present and operating immediately due to the high possibility of complications from delaying the surgery. This study aimed to investigate the safety of delaying surgery for acute appendicitis in patients with a confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) status.Methods: Patients admitted for acute appendicitis during the same period in 2019 and 2020 were enrolled in the study. We categorized them into 2 groups: those admitted before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and those admitted after the outbreak in 2020. Clinical variables including demographics, operative and postoperative factors were analyzed. Statistical analyses was performed for the two groups. The primary end point was postoperative complication. Results: A total of 200 consecutive patients (127 from 2019 and 73 from 2020) were included in the study. There was no statistically significant difference in demographics and laboratory findings between the groups. In 2020, it took a longer time between a visit and surgery (6.3 vs 14.4 hours, p < 0.001); there was no difference in the type of surgery, appendix pathology, and postoperative complications.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe to delay a surgery for acute appendicitis until after determining a patient’s COVID-19 status with the possibility of COVID-19 transmission.