andersenpa Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17611098 Antibiotics may be a better alternative to surgery for treating appendicitis, according to doctors at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. Infected and inflamed appendixes are removed before they burst and cause a potentially deadly infection. The doctors' analysis of previous research published on the BMJ website concluded that giving antibiotics was an "effective and safe" alternative. Other doctors cautioned that drug treatment risked the illness returning. About seven out of every 100 people in the UK will get appendicitis during their lifetime. As a result, removing the organ is one of the most common operations performed by the NHS in the UK. ........,,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deborah212 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 40% of patients assigned to antibiotic arms ended up with appendectomies per Jounal Watch (disclaimer: I haven't actually read he meta-analysis) I've medically treated appendicitis in the 70-80 year old patient who has multiple comorbid conditions and ten year risk of recurrent appendicitis is low because of life expectancy. I can't imagine this will change surgical treatment in younger patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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