When shall we operate for appendicitis? / by Willy Meyer.

  • Meyer, Willy, 1858-1932.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: When shall we operate for appendicitis? / by Willy Meyer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    26/28 (page 24)
    manent. Just think what that means for a child whose life lies before it; what it means for a young man who has to live on the income of his daily bodily work; what it means for an unmarried young woman, who will sooner or later marry and become pregnant. Thus you see, Mr. President and gentlemen, many surgeons try to improve the result of the operation for appendicitis by perfecting its technique, by select- ing the proper time for the same. Work hand in hand with your surgical brethren. Do not think, as many yet do, that the surgeon intends to invade a domain that formerly belonged to you alone, but try with us to further clear up and improve the treatment of this terribly treacherous disease. Summing up, I would say: 1. In cases of diffuse perforative appendicitis the operation must always be done at once. Patients have the best chance to recover if operated upon within the first twelve hours. Exceptionally patients get well without an operation. 2. In cases of acute appendicitis the patients always need careful observation. If the pulse goes up above 116 to 120 and has the tendency to stay there, the in- dication for an operation is given. In case of doubt, the operation is better than waiting. 3. In cases of subacute (mild) attack of appendi- citis, also after the first severe attack from which the patient recovers without immediate operation, the ap- pendix should be removed. The appendix, once in- flamed, has to be looked upon as a diseased organ which is very apt to give repeated and more serious, even fatal trouble in the future. When done at this time, we can almost always per- form the blunt division of the abdominal muscles ac- cording to the direction of their fibres and thus save the patient the probable appearance of a ventral hernia.