Predictive Value of Routine White Blood Cell Count Obtained Prior to Discharge for Organ Space Infection in Children with Complicated Appendicitis: Results from the Eastern Pediatric Surgery Network

This multicenter study of 1,264 children found that routine pre-discharge white blood cell counts have poor predictive value for identifying post-discharge organ space infections after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis. Half of children who developed infections had normal WBC counts at discharge, with positive predictive values below 10% across all tested thresholds.