ANZ journal of surgery
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ANZ journal of surgery · Oct 2013
Alvarado score: a guide to computed tomography utilization in appendicitis.
Although useful in evaluation of suspected appendicitis, not all patients require computed tomography (CT) evaluation. Clinical stratification of patients who benefit from CT evaluation is essential. We utilize the Alvarado score (AS) to stratify patients with suspected appendicitis into subgroups who benefit from CT evaluation and propose an objective algorithm with AS guiding CT utilization. ⋯ In suspected appendicitis, patients who benefit from CT evaluation are those with the AS ranging from 4 to 8. We propose a management algorithm with the AS guiding the necessity for CT evaluation.
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ANZ journal of surgery · Oct 2013
Comparative StudyComparison of appendicectomy outcomes: acute surgical versus traditional pathway.
The acute surgical unit (ASU) is an evolving novel concept introduced to address the challenge of maintaining key performance indicators (KPIs) in the face of an increasing acute workload. ⋯ The introduction of ASU has led to significant improvements in some KPIs for appendicectomy outcomes in the face of an increasing workload.