PREVALENCE, CLINICAL FEATURE AND OUTCOME OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS AMONG ADULT PATIENTS ADMITTED TO HIWOT FANA COMPREHENSIVE SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL, HARAR, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies worldwide, characterized by inflammation of the appendix. The condition necessitates prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention to prevent complications such as perforation, peritonitis, and sepsis, which can be life-threatening. Despite the commonality of acute appendicitis, its prevalence, clinical presentation, and outcomes can vary significantly across different regions and healthcare settings. In this study setting (Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital), there is limited data on assessment of the prevalence, clinical feature and treatment outcome of acute appendicitis. Objective: To assess the prevalence, clinical feature and treatment outcome of acute appendicitis among adult patients admitted to Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023. Data collection was conducted from October 1-30, 2024. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed among patients admitted to Hiwot Fana Comprehensive specialized hospital with clinical diagnosis of appendicitis. The sample size was 330 and census type sampling techniques applied. Data were extracted from patient chart using structured data collection format. After data quality checked. Data were collected by kobo toolbox and transferred into SPSS version 27 for analysis. Descriptive analysis was computed and described in text, graph and tables.Out of 1818 patient underwent surgery from emergency department, Appendectomy were performed for 309 (16.99%) patients. The most common clinical presentation, incision type and intra-operative findings was periumbilical pain shifting to right lower quadrant (89%), right lower quadrant transverse (98.7%) and inflamed appendix with inflammatory peritoneal fluid (73.46%), respectively. Only 29 patients (9.36%) developed complications in the post-operative period. The mean hospital stay was 3.2 days. Conclusions: In this study the prevalence of acute appendicitis is 16.99 %. The most common clinical presentation, incision type and intra-operative findings was periumbilical pain shifting to RLQ, right lower quadrant transverse and inflamed appendix with inflammatory peritoneal fluid respectively. Only 29 patients (9.36%) developed complications in the post-operative period.