Pediatric Appendicitis Risk Calculator in a Community ED: Does It Work?

It performed better than the Pediatric Appendicitis Score, but neither is good enough to avoid imaging or surgical consultation in many patients.

This study sought to validate the Pediatric Appendicitis Risk Calculator (pARC) in 11 community emergency departments (EDs), among 2089 patients aged 5 to 20.9 years; all patients had abdominal pain of <5 days' duration; 353 ultimately had appendicitis.

The variables collected for pARC included age, sex, pain duration, guarding, pain migration to (and maximum tenderness in) the right-lower quadrant, and absolute neutrophil count. Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS) variables were also collected. The primary outcome was acute appendicitis within 7 days. Researchers divided pARC scores into risk strata: <5% predicted probability of appendicitis, very low; 5%–14%, low; 15%–84%, intermediate; and >84%, high.

The observed appendicitis rates were 1.…

Reviewing Author

Carolyn K. Holland, MD, MEd, FACEP, FAAP

Disclosures

EquityGeneral Electric

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Program Committee Chief Resident Forum Subcommittee Chair); American College of Emergency Physicians (Education Committee member)

Carolyn K. Holland, MD, MEd, FACEP, FAAP

Disclosures

EquityGeneral Electric

Pediatric Appendicitis Risk Calculator in a Community ED: Does It Work?

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Reviewing Author