Table 3.
Pain, analgesic use, activity, and quality-of-life outcomes of 30 participants with the diagnosis of acute uncomplicated appendicitis by treatment group.
| Characteristic | Appendectomy, n = 14 | Antibiotics-First, n = 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants pain free, No. (%) | ||
| At day 2* | 0 | 5 (31.3) |
| Days 3–5 | 1 (7.1) | 10 (62.5) |
| 2 wk | 2 (14.3) | 12 (75.0) |
| 1 mo | 9 (64.3) | 14 (87.5) |
| Total days receiving analgesics, median (IQR; range) | ||
| Through day 2 | 1.0 (0.0–1.0; 0.0–1.0) | 0.5 (0.0–1.0; 0.0–1.0) |
| Days 3–5 | 2.0 (1.0–2.0; 0.0–3.0) | 1.0 (0.0–1.0; 0.0–3.0) |
| 2 wk | 4.0 (2.0–6.0; 1.0–10.0) | 1.0 (0.0–1.0; 0.0–12) |
| 1 mo | 4.5 (3.0–8.0; 1.0–24.0) | 1.0 (0.0–1.5; 0.0–12) |
| Unable to perform normal activities, No. (%) | ||
| At day 2 | 14/14 (100.0) | 10/16 (62.5) |
| Day 2 to 3–5 | 12/14 (85.7) | 7/16 (43.8) |
| Days 3–5 to 2 wk | 6/14 (42.9) | 1/15 (6.7) |
| 2 wk–1 mo | 2/13 (15.4) | 0/15 |
| Quality-of-life measures | ||
| SF-12v2 Physical Component score, median (IQR; range)† | ||
| 2 wk | 44 (36–51; 31–56) | 54 (52–58; 38–63) |
| 1 mo | 47 (40–53; 32–55) | 56 (47–57; 33–62) |
| SF-12v2 Mental Component score, median (IQR; range)† | ||
| 2 wk | 58 (48–61; 17–68) | 55 (53–59; 38–61) |
| 1 mo | 56 (43–58; 37–68) | 55 (49–57; 36–63) |
*
Follow-up visits occurred at day 2, days 3 to 5, 2 weeks (days 10 to 18), and 1 month (days 25 to 35) after enrollment (day 1).
†
SF-12v2 Health Survey Acute version24 (1-week recall) was used for adult (14 appendectomy and 15 antibiotic-first) participants at 2 weeks and the 4-week recall version at 1 month.