Prophylactic intraabdominal drains do not confer benefit in pediatric perforated appendicitis: Results from a quality improvement initiative

A 27-month quality improvement study of 270 pediatric perforated appendicitis patients found that routine prophylactic intraabdominal drain placement did not reduce the rate of postoperative intraabdominal abscess (20.0% vs 22.9% in controls) and was associated with longer hospital stays, leading to a recommendation against routine drain use in this population.