Laparoscopic vs Open Appendectomy in Obese Patients
Evaluation of Post Operative Outcomes of Laparoscopic and Open Appendectomy in Obese Patients
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies globally. While surgical removal of the appendix (appendectomy) is the definitive treatment, the optimal surgical approach-laparoscopic versus open-remains widely debated, particularly in obese patients. Obese individuals present unique surgical challenges due to increased abdominal wall thickness, which often necessitates larger skin incisions during open procedures, potentially increasing postoperative pain, wound healing times, and wound complications.
This study aims to compare the postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy versus standard open appendectomy in obese patients (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) presenting with acute appendicitis. Participants will be randomly assigned to undergo either open appendectomy or laparoscopic appendectomy. The primary outcomes evaluated will be the incidence of surgical site infections (including superficial wound infections and intra-abdominal abscesses) up to 30 days post-procedure and the total length of hospital stay (in days).
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Child
- Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Obese patients with Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m².
- Clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis based on Alvarado score (history of right lower quadrant or periumbilical pain shifting to RLQ, nausea and/or vomiting, fever > 38 °C, RLQ guarding and tenderness, and/or leukocytosis > 10,000 cells/mL).
- Age between 15 and 50 years.
- Both male and female patients.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Immunocompromised patients (e.g., HIV infection or current steroid therapy).
- History of prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or recurrent infections.
- History of drug or alcohol abuse.
- Severe hepatic, renal, or cardiovascular dysfunction.
- History of previous abdominal surgery.
- Appendicular malignancy.
- Pregnant women.
- Preoperative findings indicating appendiceal perforation.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Active Comparator: Open Appendectomy
Participants undergo open appendectomy using a standard grid-iron incision under general anesthesia.
Appendiceal base ligation and closure are performed in standard anatomical layers.
|
Open surgical removal of the appendix performed via a standard grid-iron incision under general anesthesia with standard prophylactic antibiotics.
|
|
Experimental: Group 2: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Participants undergo laparoscopic appendectomy using a standard 3-port technique (umbilical, left iliac fossa, and lower midline ports) under general anesthesia.
|
Laparoscopic surgical removal of the appendix using a standard 3-port configuration (umbilical, left iliac fossa, and lower midline ports) under general anesthesia with standard prophylactic antibiotics.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Incidence of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)
Time Frame: Up to 30 days postoperatively
|
Proportion of patients who develop a surgical site infection, defined as either superficial/deep wound infection (presence of purulent discharge, erythema, localized swelling, or requiring reopening) or intra-abdominal abscess (confirmed via ultrasound in patients presenting with abdominal pain, fever, or fullness)
|
Up to 30 days postoperatively
|
|
Length of Hospital Stay
Time Frame: From day of surgery up to discharge (up to 30 days postoperatively)
|
The total number of days the patient remained in the hospital postoperatively until meeting discharge criteria (afebrile, tolerating a regular diet, and achieving good pain control).
|
From day of surgery up to discharge (up to 30 days postoperatively)
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
- Pathologic Processes
- Nutrition Disorders
- Overnutrition
- Body Weight
- Intestinal Diseases
- Infections
- Digestive System Diseases
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
- Gastroenteritis
- Overweight
- Cecal Diseases
- Intraabdominal Infections
- Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms
- Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases
- Signs and Symptoms
- Obesity
- Disease
- Appendicitis
Other Study ID Numbers
- Exp134
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.