December 5, 2016.
According to’Atlas of variations in medical practices, published in November by the Institute for Research and Documentation in Health Economics (Irdes), a patient with signs of appendicitis is operated 6 times more in Nièvre than in Martinique. Do some regions have alternatives to surgery?
Great disparities from one region to another
IRDES researchers reviewed 11 frequent surgical operations and found strong disparities in frequency between regions. THE’Atlas of variations in medical practices notably highlighted the fact thatmany more patients with signs of appendicitis were operated on in Allier, Loire and Nièvre.
In these regions, the average appendix removal rate is 160 appendectomies per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 122 per 100,000 population. Why do some doctors decide to have surgery when administration of antibiotics may be sufficient in most cases ? It turns out that this use of antibiotics is still very controversial among many health professionals.
Develop antibiotic treatments
But we must not forget that operating in the event of an appendicitis attack is not without risk. Like any surgical operation, the risk of infection exists. But can antibiotics eventually replace surgery? According to Dr Edward Livingston, deputy editor of the JAMA, and Dr Corinne Vons, surgeon at the Jean-Verdier hospital in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis, antibiotics can resolve simple forms of appendicitis attacks.
” The operation has been helpful to patients for over 100 years », They explain. ” Thanks to the development of more precise diagnostic tools, such as the CT scan, and broad-spectrum antibiotics, appendectomy may no longer be necessary for simple forms, i.e. the majority of cases of acute appendicitis. »Healthcare professionals are likely to have less and less use of surgery in the years to come.
For more information: Appendicitis
