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Literature Updates and Evidence Review
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Always talk to your child's care team about your child's situation.
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Appendicitis and Acute Care1 item
Appendicitis treatment, VACTERL screening updates, and new pediatric sepsis criteria
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We’re back with 26th episode of "Quick Literature Updates" the podcast series that delivers the latest updates in pediatric surgery literature in a quick and digestible format. In each episode, we review articles covering the most interesti
podcast4:40 · Nov 2026
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Appendicitis treatment, VACTERL screening updates, and new pediatric sepsis criteria
Recent literature has been supporting treating appendicitis with antibiotics rather than surgery
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:07 ↗
The Saint Peter et al. trial was a multi-center randomized trial in Canada, the US, Finland, Sweden, and Singapore investigating whether antibiotic treatment is inferior to appendectomy
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:12 ↗
34% of children treated with antibiotics eventually required surgery within a year compared to only 7% in the surgery group
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:24 ↗
There were no deaths in either the antibiotic or surgery group for uncomplicated appendicitis
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:32 ↗
Children in the antibiotic group had a higher risk of mild to moderate adverse events compared to the surgery group
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:32 ↗
Antibiotics were not as effective as surgery for treating non-perforated appendicitis in children, as it did not meet the threshold for non-inferiority
Host summaryLizzy Lee summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position1:39 ↗
Zooadal used the PHIS database and performed a multi-institutional cohort study of all ARM patients between 2016 and 2022
Host summaryAlex Halpern summarizing a resource — not the host's own clinical position2:16 ↗
In ARM patients, rates of associated anomalies were 45.4% vertebral/spinal, 77.4% cardiac, 10.2% TEF, 39.0% renal, and 15.7% limb
Host summaryAlex Halpern summarizing a resource — not the host's own clinical position2:25 ↗
25.8% of female ARM patients had a congenital gynecologic malformation diagnosed
Host summaryAlex Halpern summarizing a resource — not the host's own clinical position2:40 ↗
The most common anomalies associated with ARMs are cardiac, vertebrospinal, renal, and gynecologic
Host summaryAlex Halpern summarizing a resource — not the host's own clinical position2:45 ↗
The authors suggest changing the VACTERL acronym to VACTERL-G to include gynecologic anomalies
Host summaryAlex Halpern summarizing a resource — not the host's own clinical position2:53 ↗
The Schlappbach et al. study was a worldwide study with a Delphi consensus process that aimed to update the definitions of sepsis and septic shock
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position3:20 ↗
The Phoenix sepsis score includes variables in cardiovascular function, respiratory function, coagulation, and neurological function
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position3:29 ↗
The Phoenix sepsis score correlates the definition with an actual mortality rate
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position3:42 ↗
Sepsis is defined as suspected infection plus 2 points in the Phoenix sepsis score
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position3:48 ↗
Septic shock is defined as sepsis plus cardiovascular dysfunction, seen when there is 1 point in the cardiovascular variable of the Phoenix sepsis score
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position3:48 ↗
Sepsis has a mortality rate of 7.1%
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position4:06 ↗
Septic shock has a mortality rate of 10.8% to 33.5% according to the research settings
Host summaryCecilia Gigena summarizes what Dr. Alex Halpern said — not the host's own clinical position4:06 ↗
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