Fewer pediatricians, higher risk for kids’ appendix ruptures | Johns Hopkins University - The Gazette

Children who live in areas with fewer pediatricians are more likely to suffer life-threatening ruptures of the appendix than those in areas with more pediatricians, even when accounting for other factors such as the number of hospitals, imaging technology, insurance coverage and the number of surgeons in an area, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The study’s findings, based on an analysis of nearly 250,000 hospital records of children with appendicitis, are published online in the December issue of JAMA–Archives of Surgery.

“Our analysis shows that the most potent predictor of outcome in children with appendicitis was the number of pediatricians available in an area, emphasizing the pivotal role they play as the point of first contact in the care of a sick child,” said lead investigator Fizan Abdullah, a pediatric surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The appendix is a small tube extending from the large intestine, and infections and inflammation of the organ can be dangerous. Each year, 77,000 children develop appendicitis, and an estimated one-third of them suffer a ruptured appendix, a serious complication that often results from delays in diagnosis and surgery to remove the inflamed or infected organ.

via gazette.jhu.edu

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