BackgroundThe choice of surgical technique to approach the appendicular stump depends mostly
on skill and personal preference of the surgeon or on the protocol used in the
service, and the influence of this choice in hospitalization time is not
evaluated.AimTo evaluate the relation between surgical technique and postoperative
hospitalization time in patients presenting with acute appendicitis.MethodsRetrospective analysis of 180 patients who underwent open appendectomy. These
where divided into three groups according to surgical technique: conventional
appendectomy (simple ligation of the stump), tobacco pouch suture and Parker-Kerr
suture. Data where crossed with hospitalization time (until three days, from four
to six days and over seven days).ResultsA hundred and eighty patients with age from 15 to 85 years where included. From
these, 95 underwent conventional technique, had an average hospitalization time of
3,9 days and seven had complications (surgical site infection, seroma, suture
dehiscence and evisceration). In 67 patients, tobacco pouch suture was chosen and
had average hospitalization time of 3,7 days and two complications (infection and
seroma). In 18 Parker-Kerr suture was made, with average hospitalization time of
2,6 days, with no complication. Contingency coefficient between the variables
hospitalization time and technique was 0,255 and Cramér's V was 0,186.ConclusionThere was tendency to larger hospitalization time and larger number of
complications in conventional appendectomy, whereas in patients where Parker-Kerr
suture was performed, hospitalization time was significantly smaller.