The Role of Doctors and Patients in Appendicitis Perforation

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to determine factors that cause appendix perforations and to identify the role of physicians and patients in contributing to the cause of these perforations. This study was conducted between April 2010 and May 2015 and included 64 patients with perforated appendicitis. Patients’ medical records were examined for factors that might have contributed to perforation, and the roles of patients and physicians in perforation appendicitis were evaluated. The perforation rate of patients with appendicitis was 16.0 per cent. The average duration from symptom onset to hospital admission was 4.4 days (29 patients were admitted to hospital within two days, 35 were admitted later). In total, 38 patients had visited a different hospital before admission. Furthermore, six out of 26 patients who had not visited any other hospital had consumed analgesics. Factors contributing to appendix perforation included misdiagnosis at the patient's initial visit (56.0%), delayed admission to hospital (11.0%), and use of analgesics (9.0%). The cause of perforation was mostly physician-related in children and adults, and patient-related in older adults.