Same-day discharge vs. observation after laparoscopic pediatric appendectomy: a prospective cohort study

Appendicitis remains the most frequent pediatric emergency requiring surgery (1,2). In a review of 1.9 million discharges of pediatric patients in 1997, appendicitis was the leading diagnosis in terms of total number of hospital days for a gastrointestinal disorder and amassed $680.4 million in charges that year (1). However, since the wide adoption of laparoscopic techniques, there has been a decreased incidence of infection, postoperative pain, and length of hospital stay (3,4). Additionally, recent studies have supported the possibility of same-day discharge for both Original Article