Appendicitis is a medical condition characterized by pain that emanates from the middle of the abdomen (BMJ, 2015). The initial pain is not severed, and may come and go, but in a matter of hours, severe pain travels to the right-hand side of the abdomen. Other symptoms of appendicitis include nausea, fatigue, fever, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. The severe and constant pain emanating from the right hand side of the abdomen is the distinguishing symptom between appendicitis and other similar disorders (Ehlers et al., 2016). Men have a higher lifetime risk to appendicitis – 8.6% - compared to women – 6.7% (BMJ, 2015). However, more women undergo appendectomy compared to men. The first intervention against appendicitis focuses on reducing or managing the pain and preventing an infection. Therefore, in addition to pain medications, a patient may receive a dose of antibiotics to prevent infections (Ehlers et al., 2016).
Diagnosis of appendicitis involves physical examination blood tests, urine tests, and imaging modalities. It is the imaging modalities such as CT scan that confirms appendicitis in a patient (Levine, Aizenstein & Wachsberg, 2014). Appendectomy remains the appropriate intervention for people diagnosed with appendicitis, making it the most common abdominal surgical procedure in acute care. Laparoscopic appendectomy is preferred as it allows the patient to heal painlessly and also prevents scarring. Laparoscopic appendectomy is only performed on patients whose appendixes haven’t ruptured (Ehlers et al., 2016). After the surgery, a patient is given pain medications to control the pain, and advised to avoid strenuous activities for at least four weeks until he/she heals completely. Ehlers et al. (2016) also recommends total rest to hasten healing. Monitoring of the patient, especially if he/she underwent an open appendectomy is imperative. The patient should go back to the hospital if the pain doesn’t cease.
References
BMJ. (2015). Acute appendicitis. Retrieved from http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best practice/monograph/290/basics/epidemiology.html
Ehlers, A. P., Talan, D. A., Moran, G. J., Flum, D. R., & Davidson, G. H. (2016). Evidence
for an antibiotics-first strategy for uncomplicated appendicitis in adults: a systematic review and gap analysis. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 222(3), 309-314.
Levine, C. D., Aizenstein, O., & Wachsberg, R. H. (2014). Pitfalls in the CT diagnosis of
appendicitis. The British Journal of Radiology, 1, 1
