Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T16:23:42.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effect of pain control in suspected acute appendicitis on the diagnostic accuracy of surgical residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2015

KyeongWon Kang
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea
Woo Jeong Kim*
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju-si, Republic of Korea
Kyuseok Kim
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
You Hwan Jo
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Joong Eui Rhee
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Jin Hee Lee
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Yu-jin Kim
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
JaeHuk Lee
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Sung-Bum Kang
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Duck-Woo Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Kyung-Ho Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Young Hoon Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
Hyun Mi Park
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Sungnam-si, Republic of Korea
*
Correspondence to: Dr. Woo Jeong Kim, Emergency Medicine Department, Jeju National University Hospital, Aran 13gil Jeju-si, Republic of Korea; [email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective

To determine the influence of early pain relief for patients with suspected appendicitis on the diagnostic performance of surgical residents.

Methods

A prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted for patients with suspected appendicitis. The patients were randomized to receive placebo (normal saline intravenous [IV]) infusions over 5 minutes or the study drug (morphine 5 mg IV). All of the clinical evaluations by surgical residents were performed 30 minutes after administration of the study drug or placebo. After obtaining the clinical probability of appendicitis, as determined by the surgical residents, abdominal computed tomography was performed. The primary objective was to compare the influence of IV morphine on the ability of surgical residents to diagnose appendicitis.

Results

A total of 213 patients with suspected appendicitis were enrolled. Of these patients, 107 patients received morphine, and 106 patients received placebo saline. The negative appendectomy percentages in each group were similar (3.8% in the placebo group and 3.2% in the pain control group, p=0.62). The perforation rates in each group were also similar (18.9% in the placebo group and 14.3% in the pain control group, p=0.75). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the overall diagnostic accuracy in each group was similar (the area under the curve of the placebo group and the pain control group was 0.63 v. 0.61, respectively, p=0.81).

Conclusions

Early pain control in patients with suspected appendicitis does not affect the diagnostic performance of surgical residents.

Résumé

Objectif

L’étude visait à déterminer lˊincidence du soulagement précoce de la douleur chez des patients souffrant vraisemblablement d’appendicite, sur l’efficacité de la pose du diagnostic par les résidents en chirurgie.

Méthode

Un essai comparatif contre placébo, prospectif, à répartition aléatoire et à double insu a été mené chez des patients souffrant vraisemblablement d’appendicite. Ceux-ci ont reçu au hasard soit un placébo (solution physiologique salée intraveineuse [i.v.]) en 5 minutes, soit le médicament à l’étude (morphine, 5 mg, i.v.). Toutes les évaluations cliniques ont été réalisées par les résidents en chirurgie, 30 minutes après l’administration du placébo ou du médicament à l’étude. Après confirmation des probabilités cliniques d’appendicite par les résidents en chirurgie, un examen par tomodensitométrie abdominale a été effectué . L’objectif principal était de comparer l’incidence de l’administration de la morphine, par voie intraveineuse, sur la capacité des résidents en chirurgie à poser le diagnostic d’appendicite.

Résultats

Au total, 213 patients souffrant vraisemblablement d’appendicite ont participé à l’étude. Sur ce nombre, 107 ont reçu de la morphine, et 106, la solution salée placébo. Le pourcentage d’appendicectomie négative était comparable dans chaque groupe (3.8% dans le groupe placébo et 3.2% dans le groupe de soulagement de la douleur; p=0.62). Le taux de perforation était également comparable dans chacun des groupes (18.9% dans le groupe placébo et 14.3% dans le groupe de soulagement de la douleur; p=0.75). L’analyse caractéristique de la performance d’un test a révélé que, dans l’ensemble, l’exactitude diagnostique était comparable dans chaque groupe (la surface sous la courbe dans le groupe placébo et celle dans le groupe de soulagement de la douleur étaient de 0.63 et de 0.61, respectivement; p=0.81).

Conclusion

Le soulagement précoce de la douleur chez les patients souffrant vraisemblablement d’appendicite n’a pas d’incidencesurla pose du diagnostic par les résidentsenchirurgie.

Type
Original Research
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2014 

References

1.Brown, JJ. Acute appendicitis: the radiologist's role. Radiology 1991;180:1314.Google Scholar
2.Nissman, SA, Kaplan, IJ, Mann, BD. Critically reappraising the literature-driven practice of analgesia administration for acute abdominal pain in the emergency room prior to surgical evaluation. Am J Surg 2003;185:291296, doi:10.1016/ S0002-9610(02)01412-5.Google Scholar
3.Pace, S, Burke, TF. Intravenous morphine for early pain relief in patients with acute abdominal pain. AcadEmergMed 1996;3:10861092, doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.1996.tb03365.x.Google Scholar
4.Kim, MK, Strait, RT, Sato, TT, et al. A randomized clinical trial of analgesia in children with acute abdominal pain. Acad Emerg Med 2002;9:281287, doi:10.1111/J.1553-2712.2002.tb01319.x.Google Scholar
5.Mahadevan, M, Graff, L. Prospective randomized study of analgesic use for ED patients with right lower quadrant abdominal pain. Am J Emerg Med 2000;18:753756, doi:10. 1053/ajem.2000.16315.Google Scholar
6.Thomas, SH, Silen, W, Cheema, F, et al. Effects of morphine analgesia on diagnostic accuracy in emergency department patients with abdominal pain: a prospective, randomized trial. J Am Coll Surg 2003;196:1831, doi:10.1016/S1072-7515(02)01480-1.Google Scholar
7.Wolfe, JM, Smithline, HA, Phipen, S, et al. Does morphine change the physical examination in patients with acute appendicitis? Am J Emerg Med 2004;22:280285, doi:10.1016/ j.ajem.2004.02.015.Google Scholar
8.Kim, K, Rhee, JE, Lee, CC, et al. Impact ofhelical computed tomography in clinically evident appendicitis. Emerg Med J 2008;25:477481, doi:10.1136/emj.2006.044552.Google Scholar
9.Jo, YH, Kim, K, Rhee, JE, et al. The accuracy of emergency medicine and surgical residents in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Am J Emerg Med 2010;28:766770, doi:10.1016/ j.ajem.2009.03.017.Google Scholar
10.Rao, PM, Rhea, JT, Novelline, RA, et al.. Effect of computed tomography ofthe appendix on treatment ofpatients and use of hospital resources. N Engl J Med 1998;338:141146, doi:10.1056/NEJM199801153380301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Ciccone, A, Allegra, JR, Cochrane, DG, et al. Age-related differences in diagnoses within the elderly population. Am J Emerg Med 1998;16:4348, doi:10.1016/S0735-6757 (98)90063-8.Google Scholar
12.McCaig, LF, Burt, CW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 emergency department sum-mary. Adv Data 2003, Jun 4 335:129.Google Scholar
13.Zoltie, N, Cust, MP. Analgesia in the acute abdomen. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 1986;68:209210.Google ScholarPubMed
14.Tait, IS, Ionescu, MTV, Cuschieri, A. Do patients with acute abdominal pain wait unduly long for analgesia? J R Coll Surg Edinb 1999;44:181184.Google Scholar
15.Manterola, C, Astudillo, P, Losada, H, et al. Analgesia in patients with acute abdominal pain. CochraneDatabaseSyst Rev 2007 3):CD005660.Google Scholar
16.Vane, DW. Efficacy and concerns regarding early analgesia in children with acute abdominal pain. Pediatrics 2005;116:1018doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1430.Google Scholar
17.Armstrong, FD. Analgesia for children with acute abdominal pain: a cautious move to improved pain management. Pediatrics 2005;116:10181019, doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1719.Google Scholar
18.Vermeulen, B, Morabia, A, Unger, PF, et al. Acute appendicitis: influence of early pain relief on the accuracy of clinical and US findings in the decision to operate—a randomized trial. Radiology 1999;210:639643, doi:10.1148/ radiology.210.3.r99fe54639.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Flum, DR, Morris, A, Koepsell, T, et al. Has misdiagnosis of appendicitis decreased over time? A population-based analysis. JAMA 2001;286:17481753, doi:10.1001/jama.286. 14.1748.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Pickhardt, PJ, Lawrence, EM, Pooler, BD, et al. Diagnostic performance of multidetector computed tomography for suspected acute appendicitis. AnnInternMed 2011;154:789796; W-291 doi:10.7326/0003-4819-154-12-201106210-00006.Google Scholar
21.Green, R, Bulloch, B, Kabani, A, et al. Early analgesia for children with acute abdominal pain. Pediatrics 2005;116:978983, doi:10.1542/peds.2005-0273.Google Scholar
22.Attard, AR, Corlett, MJ, Kidner, NJ, et al. Safetyofearlypain relief for acute abdominal pain. BMJ 1992;305:554556, doi:10.1136/bmj.305.6853.554.Google Scholar
23.Paulson, EK, Kalady, MF, Pappas, TN. Clinical practice. Suspected appendicitis. N Engl J Med 2003;348:236242, doi:10.1056/NEJMcp013351.Google Scholar
24.Abujudeh, HH, Kaewlai, R, McMahon, PM, et al. Abdominopelvic CT increases diagnostic certainty and guides management decisions: a prospective investigation of 584 patients in a large academic medical center. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2011;196:238243, doi:10.2214/AJR.10.4467.Google Scholar