ABSTRACT
Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the most frequent surgical emergencies and is a common cause of non-traumatic acute abdominal emergencies that require surgical intervention. Most complicated appendicitis started de novo as simple appendicitis raising the notion that it is a disease in evolution that has become of clinical importance due to delayed or missed diagnosis. Complicated appendicitis has been associated with a significant risk of postoperative septic complications, including wound infections and intra-abdominal abscess formation. This study aimed to evaluate the types of complicated appendicitis and their relationship to patient's demographic data, postoperative course and the length of hospital stay in Al-Basra Teaching Hospital. Methods: This was a prospective clinical study involving patients with acute appendicitis admitted to Al-Basra Teaching Hospital from January 2017 to October 2019. The demographic data, types of complicated appendicitis, hospitalization duration, and postoperative complications were evaluated. The patients were divided into six groups according to age. All data were recorded and analyzed. Results: A total of 1210 patients, age from 6 to 69 years, mean age of patients was 23.45, males out-numbered females. Perforated appendicitis represents the main type of complicated appendicitis, and it was reported mostly among elderly patients. Patients with complicated appendicitis had a longer hospitalization and more postoperative complications than patients with non-complicated appendicitis. Conclusion: we concluded that nearly one third of the patients with acute appendicitis had complicated appendicitis, so they need a special pre and postoperative care and old age had non classical clinical picture with poor outcome.