A Retrospective Comparative Study Assessing Patients With Acute Appendicitis During the Pre and Through Lebanese Financial Crisis

IntroductionIn the past three years, Lebanon, a country located in the Middle East, has faced a severe financial crisis. This crisis had many effects on several sectors in Lebanon, including the healthcare sector. The authors expected an increase in the rate of complicated appendicitis after the cri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2022-08, Vol.14 (8), p.e28518-e28518
Main Authors: Bazzi, Nagham, Dbouk, Samer, Jaber, Sadek, Msheik, Ali, Safadi, Mhd Firas, Shaalan, Zaynab, Bazzi, Mariam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abscesses
Antibiotics
Appendectomy
Appendicitis
Economic crisis
Emergency Medicine
General Surgery
Hospitals
Laboratories
Medical supplies
Patients
Population
Public Health
Tomography
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Summary:IntroductionIn the past three years, Lebanon, a country located in the Middle East, has faced a severe financial crisis. This crisis had many effects on several sectors in Lebanon, including the healthcare sector. The authors expected an increase in the rate of complicated appendicitis after the crisis due to the shortage of medical supplies. The aim of the study was to compare the rate of complicated acute appendicitis before and after the Lebanese crisis.MethodsThe study included two groups of patients with acute appendicitis. The first group included patients admitted in the period between November 2018 and November 2019 (before the crisis). The second group included patients admitted between November 2020 and November 2021 (during the crisis). The data were collected retrospectively and analyzed using SPSS software (version 25.00) (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Ethical approval was obtained and the study was registered at Al Zahraa hospital, University Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon.ResultsThe study included 49 patients in the first group (before the crisis) and 46 patients in the second group (after the crisis). The percentage of complicated appendicitis has increased from 22.4% before the crisis to 28.3% during the crisis. The study showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the white blood cell count (10,831 versus 7180 cu.mm, respectively, p=0.006), the operating time (59.9 versus 79.0 minutes, respectively; p=0.004), the need to obtain an intra-peritoneal swab for bacterial culture (83.7% versus 58.7%, respectively; p=0.007), and the need for intra-abdominal abscess drainage (6.1% versus 28.3%, respectively; p=0.004). There were no significant differences in the demographics, the duration of postoperative antibiotic use, the duration of stay in the hospital, and the postoperative complications in the first month following surgery.ConclusionDue to the decreased financial income, the high cost of medical care during the Lebanese crisis, and the delay of patients’ presentation to the hospital, the rate of complicated appendicitis increased during the crisis.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.28518