Subscription 
Novel risk calculator can diagnose appendicitis in kids-
Washington: Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have
developed a new 'risk calculator' that can help diagnose appendicitis in
children and provide tailored medical and surgical guidance.
Researchers from Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and
HealthPartners Institute in the US used data collected from ten paediatric
emergency departments to develop the risk calculator and then independently
validated the score using data from a single children's hospital.
Potential benefits of using the new risk calculator include a
reduction in the use of computed tomography (CT), more judicious utilisation of
ultrasound and a reduction in healthcare expenditures.
'This method is of great benefit to our patients and the
health care system overall,' said Anupam Kharbanda, chief of critical care
services at Children's Minnesota.
'In addition to being able to target our care specifically to
each patient, we're also reducing the use of unnecessary medical tests and
expenses,' said Kharbanda.
'We're thrilled to have developed a new way to standardise
care for children and adolescents with abdominal pain,' he said.
Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons children visit
the emergency department and appendicitis is the most frequent surgical
emergency in pediatrics.
CT is one of the most common ways clinicians diagnose appendicitis
and CT scans are not only costly, but can also put paediatric patients at risk
for radiation-induced injuries, especially because their bodies are smaller and
organs more sensitive than adults.
As a result, researchers have sought methods to develop a safer,
more cost-efficient way to determine the risk for appendicitis when a patient
has presented at an emergency department with abdominal pain.
They are conducting a 17-centre trial to improve the care of
paediatric patients who seek care in general emergency departments. The study
will utilise the appendicitis risk calculator to guide care in the community
setting.
