Apendicitis aguda: manejo quirúrgico vs antibiótico como opción de tratamiento

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common emergencies worldwide, it has a high prevalence among young people aged 20 to 30 years, being less frequent in older adults. Appendicitis presents as pain and inflation of the cecal appendix. Both surgical and non-surgical treatment (antibiotic therapy) has evolved a lot in recent years. Objective. To determine the relationship with acute appendicitis, surgical vs antibiotic management as a treatment option; in this way to give an adequate approach to the hospitalized patient and the possible therapeutic alternatives according to the condition and state of the disease. Methodology. A systematic review was carried out by searching for information in the following databases: "PubMed, Scopus" and "Google Scholar" including original articles, experimental, meta-analysis and official pages with topics related to surgical management and antibiotic therapy in acute appendicitis. For a more exhaustive search we used the following algorithm: (Appendicitis) AND (acute) and (management) AND (surgical) AND (antibiotic). Conclusion. Current evidence from the different studies analyzed shows that laparoscopic appendectomy is the most effective treatment of choice for complicated acute appendicitis, associated with a faster recovery and a significantly decreased risk of infection and mortality after surgery. However, the American Surgical Association and the World Society for Emergency Surgery recommend pharmacological treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis as a therapeutic alternative.