Skip to main content
. 2023 Sep 25;12:106. doi: 10.1186/s13756-023-01312-1

Table 2.

Characteristics of 4256 appendectomy cases included in analysis by type of perioperative prophylaxis

Cefuroxime plus metronidazole Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid No antimicrobial prophylaxis
Patient characteristics
Patients, n 2348 1491 417
Infections n (%) 25 (1.1) 42 (2.8) 20 (4.8)
Sex, n (%)
 Male 1264 (53.8) 850 (57.0) 222 (53.2)
 Female 1084 (46.2) 641 (43.0) 195 (46.8)
Age in years, median (IQR) 12 [10, 14] 12 [10, 14] 11 [10, 14]
ASA classification, n (%)
Class 1/2 25 (1.1) 8 (0.5) 3 (0.7)
Class 3/4/5 2323 (98.9) 1483 (99.5) 414 (99.3)
Hospital characteristics
Hospital size, n (%)
 ≤ 200 beds 1158 (49.3) 560 (37.6) 225 (54.0)
 200–499 beds 439 (18.7) 514 (34.5) 138 (33.1)
 ≥ 500 beds 751 (32.0) 417 (28.0) 54 (12.9)
Procedure characteristics
Type of surgical approach n (%)
 Open 239 (10.2) 92 (6.2) 40 (9.6)
 Laparoscopic 2109 (89.8) 1399 (93.8) 377 (90.4)
Duration of surgery in minutes, median (IQR) 56 [44, 72] 49 [39, 63] 53 [38, 65]
Duration of surgery > 75th centile, n (%) 966 (41.1) 400 (26.8) 143 (34.3)
Timing of administration of first prophylaxis prior to incision in minutes, median (IQR) − 21 [− 35, − 12] − 22 [− 73, − 10]