Evaluation of One Day Discharge After Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis in Children.

The research would include children who underwent laparoscopic surgery due to uncomplicated acute appendicitis in the period from October 2021 to October 2023 at the Clinic for Pediatric Surgery of the University Hospital Center Split. After the suspicion of acute inflammation of the appendix is established, the pediatric surgeon decides on surgical treatment. Recently, laparoscopic appendectomy has been performed in a standardized manner at the Clinic for Pediatric Surgery of the Clinical Hospital Center Split. After the operation, and in the current practice, the children would stay in hospital for 2 to 4 days. As the generally known psychological aspects of changes in children's behaviour in involuntary hospital stays, and now even more pronounced due to the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) COVID19 virus pandemic and reduced opportunities for parents to stay with children, the main goal of this study is to evaluate and possibly reduce hospital stay to a minimum and proof that there are no complications in treatment outcomes due to shortening the length of hospital treatment. To conduct this research, parents are given a two-page questionnaire that is completed in three cycles (immediately after discharge, daily until the first control and immediately before the first control). Baseline demographic data and intraoperative findings will be recorded. All data will be statistically processed using descriptive statistics.

Inclusion criteria

• children 6 to 18 years
• uncomplicated acute appendicitis treated with laparoscopic approach
• children released within 24 hours

Exclusion criteria

• children under 6 years
• complicated acute appendicitis
• intraoperative complication
• operated by classical approach
• children needing longer hospital care and parental therapy
• children with significant comorbidities that could affect treatment outcomes