353 AIR Score Based Management of Appendicitis

Appendicitis is the most common cause of an acute abdomen. Approximately 7% of the population will be affected at some point. The development of AIR has been developed to aid diagnosis and decreasing the number of negative appendectomies while also safely identifying those who have developed appendicitis. Aim This retrospective audit, which aims to assess the effects of the introduction of AIR score risk on the negative appendicectomy rate of patients admitted to Taranaki Base Hospital. Method All patients under General Surgery receiving open appendicectomy, laparoscopic appendicectomy or diagnostic laparoscopy for evaluation or treatment of appendicitis from January 1st 2017 – December 31st 2018. Results The negative appendicectomy rate dropped 11.1% after introduction of the AIR score, we also noted a decrease in CT scan use. Discussion Our results suggest that the Air score could be used as an adjunct to the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis.