Antibiotics are a kind of drug that has been widely used to fight viruses. But in a recent study, it shows that it can also be an effective alternative to appendicitis surgery.
With over 200 operations per year, appendicitis has become one of the top reasons that children end up in the emergency room. But in a recent study, it is revealed that antibiotics might be enough, and there is no surgical operation needed.
The research team that is led by Dr. Peter Minneci and Dr. Katherine Deans, co-directors of the Center for Surgical Outcomes Research at The Research Institute, part of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, came up with this conclusion after conducting a study on the outcome of up to 102 children and teens that have acquired an uncomplicated and early stage cases of appendicitis.
The researchers found out that 37 of the participants have received antibiotics and 65 healed through surgery. Those members of the antibiotic groups were provided instead with high dosage of antibiotics for the first 24 hours and pill forms for the next 10 days.
The research team then found out that nearly 95 percent of the kids got better in just 24 hours, therefore sparing themselves from undergoing a surgical operation. Although 20 percent of them were later on returned to have their appendixes removed, the remaining 75 percent completely healed.
And after a year of tracking, the researchers found out that those who received antibiotics and those who went under surgery are receiving the same type of medical care. According to them, these findings justify the effectiveness of the antibiotics as an alternative when it comes to appendicitis surgery in children.
Dr. Deans said that surgery for the longest time has been the best way to make sure that a patient will be free from the pain caused by appendicitis. However, their latest study showed that antibiotics can now be used as another way for children with this kind of problem. Dr. Deans also pointed out that prior to the study, she and her fellow doctors went into a deep discussion as a way to find alternative solutions to spare the kids from having to face surgery at such a young age.
