It’s the beginning of a new academic year – and whether or not you are entering the ED for the first time, or returning after a hiatus it’s a good time to catch up on the basics. That’s what these “Starter Packs” are about. I have collated a number of different posts to give you an idea of what I’ve shared over the past few years on a number of common conditions. This one focuses on appendicitis.
Test Yourself: The Pediatric Appendicitis Score
Why we do what we do: Ultrasound for appendicitis
How useful is the pediatric appendicitis score in adolescent females?
And, from the Annals of Emergency Medicine article entitled ”
What Elements of the History, Examination, Laboratory Testing, or Point-of-Care Ultrasonography Are Most Useful in the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis in Children?” by Favot et al. here is a table of the test characteristics of various signs, symptoms and markers in acute appendicitis. The authors note the following, which I think is a key take home point:
None of the identified history, physical examination, or labora- tory findings had sufficient posi- tive or negative likelihood ratios to rule in or rule out acute appendi- citis in patients with suspected acute appendicitis.
