Utilidad en la aplicación de la escala de respuesta inflamatoria a apendicitis (AIR) para el diagnóstico precoz de apendicitis aguda en los pacientes atendidos en el servicio de emergencia del Hospital de Niños “Dr. Roberto Gilbert Elizalde” durante el periodo mayo 2024 a febrero 2025.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdomen in pediatrics and represents the most frequent surgical emergency in the pediatric population. Several scales have been designed with the intention of early identification of cases of acute appendicitis adjusted to the characteristics of the pediatric population. OBJECTIVES: To determine the usefulness of the inflammatory response to appendicitis scale for diagnosing acute appendicitis in patients treated at the "Dr. Roberto Gilbert Elizalde" Children's Hospital from May 2024 to February 2025. METHODOLOGY: Observational, prospective, cross-sectional, analytical study in patients aged 2 to 17 years with a diagnosis of acute abdomen. RESULTS: 301 patients were included, 24 were excluded for not meeting inclusion criteria. The most common gender was male (61.4%), the mean age was 9.3 years ± 3.8 years. A total of 88.9% of patients underwent surgery for acute appendicitis, with laparoscopy being the most common approach in 86.6%. The most common finding was gangrenous appendix in 35.6%. The AIR score with values of 5 or more showed a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 79%, with positive predictive values of 87% and negative predictive values of 90% for diagnosing acute appendicitis. CONCLUSIONS: The AIR score of 5 or more is useful for diagnosing acute appendicitis in the pediatric population.