ANTIBIÓTICOS VS APENDICECTOMÍA TEMPRANA EN APENDICITIS AGUDA NO COMPLICADA

Autores/as

Palabras clave:

Apendicitis. Apendicectomía. Terapia antibiótica. Tratamiento no quirúrgico. Calidad de vida

Resumen

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v10i18.0878

Resumen

Se realizó una revisión de tema crítica sobre el manejo con antibióticos frente a la apendicectomía temprana en apendicitis aguda no complicada. Se revisó literatura reciente en bases biomédicas, priorizando ensayos clínicos, metaanálisis, cohortes comparativas y guías. La evidencia mostró que los antibióticos evitaron la cirugía inmediata en una proporción importante de pacientes y no aumentaron de forma consistente las complicaciones mayores tempranas en enfermos bien seleccionados. No obstante, esta estrategia se asoció con recurrencia acumulada relevante durante el seguimiento, especialmente en presencia de apendicolito. La cirugía mantuvo la mayor eficacia definitiva, mientras que el tratamiento conservador ofreció menor invasividad inicial, recuperación más rápida y costos más bajos. Se concluyó que ambas estrategias fueron válidas, pero la selección clínica, la confirmación por imagen y la toma de decisiones compartida determinaron la mejor opción terapéutica.

Palabras claves: Apendicitis. Apendicectomía. Terapia antibiótica. Tratamiento no quirúrgico. Calidad de vida.

Abstract

A critical topic review was conducted on antibiotic management versus early appendectomy in uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Recent biomedical literature was examined, prioritizing randomized trials, meta-analyses, comparative cohorts, and guidelines. The evidence showed that antibiotics avoided immediate surgery in a substantial proportion of patients and did not consistently increase early major complications in well-selected cases. However, this strategy carried a relevant cumulative recurrence risk during follow-up, particularly when an appendicolith was present. Surgery remained the most definitive treatment, whereas conservative management offered lower initial invasiveness, faster recovery, and lower costs. Both strategies were considered valid, but patient selection, imaging confirmation, and shared decision-making were essential to determine the most appropriate therapeutic approach.

Keywords: Appendicitis. Appendectomy. Anti-Bacterial Agents. Nonoperative Management. Quality of Life.

Información del manuscrito:
Fecha de recepción:
09 de febrero de 2026.
Fecha de aceptación: 15 de abril de 2026.
Fecha de publicación: 13 de mayo de 2026.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Citas

Leite RM, Seo DJ, Gomez-Eslava B, Hossain S, Lesegretain A, de Souza AV, et al. Nonoperative vs operative management of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Surg. 2022;157(9):828-34. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2022.2937.

Podda M, Gerardi C, Cillara N, Fearnhead NS, Gomes CA, Birindelli A, et al. Antibiotic treatment and appendectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Surg. 2019;270(6):1028-40. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000003225.

Di Saverio S, Podda M, De Simone B, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of acute appendicitis: 2020 update of the WSES Jerusalem guidelines. World J Emerg Surg. 2020;15:27. doi: 10.1186/s13017-020-00306-3.

Salminen P, Paajanen H, Rautio T, et al. Antibiotic therapy vs appendectomy for treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: the APPAC randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2015;313(23):2340-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.6154.

CODA Collaborative; Flum DR, Davidson GH, Monsell SE, et al. A randomized trial comparing antibiotics with appendectomy for appendicitis. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(20):1907-19. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2014320.

Sallinen V, Akl EA, You JJ, et al. Meta-analysis of antibiotics vs appendicectomy for non-perforated acute appendicitis. Br J Surg. 2016;103(6):656-67. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10147.

St Peter SD, et al. Appendicectomy versus antibiotics for acute uncomplicated appendicitis in children. Lancet. 2025;405(10474):233-40. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02420-6.

Minneci PC, Mahida JB, Lodwick DL, et al. Effectiveness of patient choice in nonoperative vs surgical management of pediatric uncomplicated acute appendicitis. JAMA Surg. 2016;151(5):408-15. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2015.4534.

Sippola S, Haijanen J, Viinikainen L, et al. Quality of life and patient satisfaction at 7-year follow-up of antibiotic therapy vs appendectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis. JAMA Surg. 2020;155(4):283-9. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2019.6028.

Haijanen J, Sippola S, Tuominen R, et al. Three-year outcomes of oral antibiotics vs initial intravenous antibiotics for uncomplicated appendicitis. JAMA Surg. 2024;159(7):727-35. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.5947.

Haijanen J, Sippola S, Tuominen R, et al. Cost analysis of antibiotic therapy vs appendectomy for uncomplicated acute appendicitis: 5-year results of the APPAC trial. PLoS One. 2019;14(7):e0220202. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220202.

Brucchi F, Bracchetti G, Fugazzola P, et al. Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis comparing nonoperative vs operative management for uncomplicated appendicitis. World J Emerg Surg. 2024;19(1):2. doi: 10.1186/s13017-023-00531-6.

Harnoss JC, Zelienka I, Probst P, et al. Antibiotics vs surgical therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis: systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Ann Surg. 2017;265(5):889-900. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002188.

Huang L, Yin Y, Yang L, Wang C, Li Y, Zhou Z. Antibiotic treatment vs appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis in children: a meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(5):426-34. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0057.

Georgiou R, Eaton S, Stanton MP, et al. Efficacy and safety of nonoperative treatment for acute appendicitis in children: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2017;139(3):e20163003. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-3003.

Zhang X, Zheng X, Jin H, et al. Efficacy and safety of different antibiotic treatments vs surgical treatment for acute appendicitis: a network meta-analysis. World J Surg. 2024;48(12):2843-54. doi: 10.1002/wjs.12382.

Xu H, Yang S, Xing J, et al. Comparison of the efficacy and safety of antibiotic treatment and appendectomy for acute uncomplicated appendicitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Surg. 2023;23(1):208. doi: 10.1186/s12893-023-02108-1.

Meier J, Stevens J, Bhat R, Balentine C, Berger M. Outcomes of nonoperative vs operative management of acute appendicitis in older adults. JAMA Surg. 2023;158(8):742-50. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2023.0284.

Ashbrook M, McGing M, Cheng V, et al. Outcomes following surgical and nonsurgical treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis in older adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2429820. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.29820.

Jacobs D. Antibiotics for appendicitis - proceed with caution. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(20):1985-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe2029126.

Minneci PC, Hade EM, Metzger GA, et al. Initial treatment with antibiotics vs surgery and one-year treatment success among subgroups of children with uncomplicated appendicitis. JAMA. 2021;325(24):2502-4. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.6710.

Coldrey E. Treatment of acute appendicitis. BMJ. 1956;2(5007):1458-61.

Varadhan KK, Humes DJ, Neal KR, Lobo DN. Antibiotics vs appendicectomy for acute appendicitis - a meta-analysis. BMJ. 2012;344:e2156. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e2156.

Eriksson S, Granstrom L. Randomized controlled trial of appendicectomy vs antibiotic therapy for acute appendicitis. Br J Surg. 1995;82(2):166-9. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800820207.

Salminen P, Tuominen R, Paajanen H, et al. Five-Year Follow-up of Antibiotic Therapy vs Appendectomy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis in the APPAC Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2018;320(12):1259-65. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.13201.

Mason RJ, Moazzez A, Sohn H, Katkhouda N. Meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing antibiotic therapy and appendectomy for acute appendicitis. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2012;13(2):74-84. doi: 10.1089/sur.2011.074.

Lee HG, Park IJ. Clinical outcomes and optimal indications for nonoperative management of acute appendicitis in adult patients: a comprehensive literature review. Ann Coloproctol. 2025;41(2):107-18. doi: 10.3393/ac.2023.00931.

Poprom N, Pattanaprateep O, Wilasrusmee C, et al. Cost-utility analysis of antibiotic therapy versus appendicectomy for acute uncomplicated appendicitis. Sci Rep. 2025;15:14963. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00111-5.

Hansson J, Korner U, Ludwigs K, et al. Antibiotics as first-line therapy for acute appendicitis: evidence for a change in clinical practice. World J Surg. 2012;36(9):2028-36. doi: 10.1007/s00268-012-1641-x.

Ali A, Mobarak Z, Al-Jumaily M, et al. Cost-Utility Analysis of Antibiotic Therapy vs Appendicectomy for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8473. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168473.

Lu N, Dandan IS, Tominaga GT, et al. Outcomes of acute appendicitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerg Care Med. 2025;2(1):8. doi: 10.3390/ecm2010008.

Kupietzky A, Bar-Moshe Y, Lavie N, et al. Leaving no stone unturned: impact of appendicolith and characteristics on long-term recurrence after non-operative appendicitis. World J Clin Cases. 2025;12:106532. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i21.106532.

Ehlers AP, Talan DA, Weiser TG, et al. Association of an appendicolith with failure of nonoperative management of appendicitis in adults. JAMA Surg. 2021;156(10):954-61. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3446.

Descargas

Publicado

2026-05-13

Cómo citar

Montano-Saavedra, J. A., Carrero-Caisedo, B. K., Rondon-Mesa, M. H., Cuello-Carranza, A. J., Pinzón-Rodríguez, M. P., Peralta-Farak, J. C., Moran-Riaño, A. S., Montealegre-Tovar, D., & Siachoque-Hernández, C. M. (2026). ANTIBIÓTICOS VS APENDICECTOMÍA TEMPRANA EN APENDICITIS AGUDA NO COMPLICADA. REVISTA CIENTÍFICA MULTIDISCIPLINARIA ARBITRADA YACHASUN - ISSN: 2697-3456, 10(18), 1495–1523. Recuperado a partir de https://www.editorialibkn.com/index.php/Yachasun/article/view/949