Physical Wellness

Antibiotics an Option for Treatment of Appendix over Surgery for Kids

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Dec 17, 2015 01:40 PM EST

According to the latest U.S Study, offering children's families the option of choosing antibiotics instead of surgery is a safe alternative and may also be able to lead to better results. Researchers claimed that when the families opted for antibiotic treatment for the kids suffering from simple appendicitis, children were able to recover without the need for surgery. Children required shorter duration of the treatment and were able to cut short their healthcare bills too, compared to families that opted for surgery. "There is a relatively good body of literature in adults and also in children that shows patients and parents involved in the decision process do better," said Dr. Peter Minneci, of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, as reported by Yahoo News.

The study was led by Dr. Katherine Deans and Dr. Peter Minneci, co-directors of the Center for Surgical Outcomes Research at The Research Institute. "Surgery has long been the 'gold standard' of care for treating appendicitis because by removing the appendix we eliminate the chance that the appendicitis will ever come back," Deans said in a hospital news release, said CBS News.

"Families who choose to treat their child's appendicitis with antibiotics, even those who ended up with an appendectomy because the antibiotics didn't work, have expressed that for them it was worth it to try antibiotics to avoid surgery," said Peter C. Minnec. He also said, "these patients avoided the risks of surgery and anesthesia, and they quickly went back to their activities." Appendicitis normally occurs when a small pouch of tissue off the large intestine, called the appendix, becomes swollen. The condition may be caused due to variety of reasons such as infection, blockage, intenstinal disorders or blockage, reports Science Daily.

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