Appendicitis News and Research

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Appendicitis is a painful swelling and infection of the appendix. The appendix is a fingerlike pouch attached to the large intestine and located in the lower right area of the abdomen. Scientists are not sure what the appendix does, if anything, but removing it does not appear to affect a person’s health. The inside of the appendix is called the appendiceal lumen. Mucus created by the appendix travels through the appendiceal lumen and empties into the large intestine.

He returned to the US for his daughter’s wedding. He left with a $42,000 hospital bill.

Last June, Jay Comfort flew to the United States from his home in Switzerland to attend his only daughter's wedding. But the week before the ceremony — on a Friday evening — Comfort said he found himself in "excruciating pain."

23 May 2023

She sued a hospital and lost — but felt she’d won

When a patient faces an outrageous medical bill, they have two choices: Pay the balance or fight.

16 Feb 2023

Researchers discover a previously unknown mechanism that drives aging

Northwestern University researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that drives aging.

9 Dec 2022

Racial differences may reflect inequities in access to surgical care for Black, Latino, and Asian children

The number of surgeries performed on Black, Latino, and Asian children is significantly lower than among white children in the United States, a UT Southwestern study has found.

29 Nov 2022

When malpractice occurs at community health centers, taxpayers pay

Silvia Garcia's 14-year-old son was left permanently disabled and in a wheelchair after a community health center doctor in New Mexico failed to diagnose his appendicitis despite his complaint of severe stomach pain.

28 Nov 2022

Some rural hospitals are in such bad shape, local governments are practically giving them away

Kyle Kopec gets a kick out of leading tours through the run-down hospitals his boss is snapping up, pointing out what he calls relics of poor management left by a revolving door of operators. But there's a point to exposing their state of disrepair — the company he works for, Braden Health, is buying buildings worth millions of dollars for next to nothing.

18 Aug 2022

PCORI approves $258 million funding to support 26 new health care-related studies

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has approved funding awards totaling $258 million to support 26 new research studies.

26 Jul 2022

Should siRNA-based antivirals be added to the COVID toolbox?

A recent study reviewed the existing treatment modalities, including vaccines and antivirals, for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Jul 2022

Outpatient antibiotic management of patients with appendicitis is safe, helps avoid surgery

Outpatient antibiotic management of selected patients with appendicitis is safe, allowing many patients to avoid surgery and hospitalization, and should be considered as part of shared decision-making between doctor and patient.

6 Jul 2022

‘Watch and wait’ approach may improve outcomes for very frail patients than emergency surgery

New research published in Anaesthesia (a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) shows that for patients who are very frail, it may be better to adopt a 'watch and wait' approach rather than proceeding to emergency surgery for five common medical emergencies.

20 May 2022

Evaluating the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in younger children

Researchers investigated the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in children in the US.

20 May 2022

Pediatric study links neighborhood-level factors to timely surgical care access

A new study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago found that children from less resourced neighborhoods were at increased odds of presenting with complicated appendicitis, an indicator of delayed access to surgical care.

16 Feb 2022

New blood test quickly detects COVID-19 infection and disease severity

George Washington University researchers have developed a blood test that quickly detects if someone has COVID-19 and predicts how severely the immune system will react to the infection, according to a new study coming out today in PLOS One.

1 Feb 2022

Using lab-grown stomachs to shed light on the symptoms of COVID-19

Could lab-grown 'mini-stomachs' be used to look at COVID-19 symptoms in children? In this interview, we speak to Paolo De Coppi to find out more.

13 Jan 2022

RCSI study highlights the impact of pandemic on patients having emergency surgery

Patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery spent less time in hospital during COVID-19, without any negative impact on outcomes, according to a new study from RCSI National Clinical Programme in Surgery and the Health Outcomes Research Centre at RCSI.

7 Jan 2022

Vulnerable children in UK faced a healthcare shortage during the pandemic period

A new preprint describes the pattern seen among children who needed healthcare during the pandemic, demonstrating how the vulnerable had a higher rate of care deficits.

21 Dec 2021

Study: Middle-aged men are more likely to die after surgery than women

Middle-aged men are around 50% more likely to die after surgery than middle-aged women, according to new research being presented at Euroanaesthesia, the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year.

20 Dec 2021

Non-surgical approach can be a routine treatment option for uncomplicated appendicitis cases

With numerous recent studies demonstrating that antibiotics work as well as surgery for most uncomplicated appendicitis cases, the non-surgical approach can now be considered a routine option, according to a review article in JAMA.

14 Dec 2021

Patients get stranded out of network as insurer-hospital contract talks fall apart

In September, when Shelly Azzopardi went to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with abdominal pain, she didn't worry about her insurance.

17 Nov 2021

Appendicitis can be diagnosed using low-does CT scans

A new paper in the British Journal of Surgery, published by Oxford University Press, indicates it's now possible to diagnose appendicitis using low-does CT scans, decreasing the radiation exposure, which is of significant clinical importance especially in young patients.

11 Nov 2021