Nonoperative Management of Uncomplicated Appendicitis in Adults Linked to Longer Hospital Stays and Higher Costs

Researchers examined 167,125 patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, finding that 82.4% underwent surgical management, while 17.6% underwent nonoperative management (NOM). The NOM group had older patients (53 vs. 43 years), more Medicare recipients (33.6% vs. 16.1%), and higher rates of comorbidities like diabetes (7.8% vs. 5.5%). NOM was associated with longer hospital stays (5.4 vs. 2.3 days) and higher costs ($15,584 vs. $11,559). Older age significantly increased the odds of NOM. Further guidelines are needed to identify which patients benefit from NOM.