Stumped by Appendicitis: A Rare Cause of Acute Abdominal Pain.

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common diagnoses in the emergency department. As with other surgical procedures, post-appendectomy complications are numerous and can be either immediate or delayed. Stump appendicitis is an underreported and underrecognized complication that is often diagnosed radiologically while ruling out other diagnoses. We report a case of a 26-year-old male presenting with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. Although he initially denied any surgical history, a focused abdominal exam revealed an incisional scar which turned out to be the result of an appendectomy nine years ago. The patient was worked up for alternate causes of right lower quadrant pain. Investigations revealed high inflammatory markers and hematuria. We proceeded with a non-contrast CT scan to rule out vesicoureteric junction stone. Instead, the scan was suggestive of stump appendicitis. The patient was admitted and treated conservatively. Maintaining a high index of suspicion for stump appendicitis, especially in patients with a clinical picture typical of appendicitis but a history of appendectomy, is key to making an early diagnosis and avoiding further complications.

The epidemiology and outcomes of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest in a high-income developing country.

Aim: In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (IHCA) is a significant burden on healthcare worldwide. Outcomes of IHCA are worse in developing countries compared with developed ones. We aimed to study the epidemiology and factors determining outcomes in adult IHCA in a high income developing country. Methods: We abstracted prospectively collected data of adult patients admitted to our institution over a three-year period who suffered a cardiac arrest. We analysed patient demographics, arrest characteristics, including response time, initial rhythm and code duration. Pre-arrest vital signs, primary diagnoses, discharge and functional status, were obtained from the patients' electronic medical records. Results: A total of 447 patients were studied. The IHCA rate was 8.6/1000 hospital admissions. Forty percent (40%) achieved ROSC with an overall survival to discharge rate of 10.8%, of which 59% had a good functional outcome, with a cerebral performance category score of 1 or 2. Fifty-four percent (54%) of patients had IHCA attributed to causes other than cardiac or respiratory. Admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), shockable rhythm and short code duration were significantly associated with survival (p < 0.001). Conclusion: A combination of patient and system-related factors, such as the underlying cause of cardiac arrest and a lack of DNAR policy, may explain the reduced survival rate in our setting compared with developed countries.