Unexplained abdominal pain can’t be ignored. Acute appendicitis may be lethal if not treated on time. Symptoms include abdominal pain that does not go away and gets worse when you move, walk, or cough. Acute appendicitis is the painful swelling and infection of the appendix. If a doctor confirms you have acute appendicitis you will need emergency appendix removal surgery called appendectomy. An appendectomy may be performed with an open surgery or by laparoscopic surgery using special slender instruments inserted through several small incisions. Post-operative recovery time in the hospital varies depending which procedure you have. Open surgery will keep you in hospital about 7 to 10 days while laparoscopic surgery will hold you for about 4 days. Listed below you will find experienced surgeons around Baltimore that can give you more information.

Recovery from surgery for a perforated appendix is longer, primarily because the infection must be treated. The hospital stay is at least 4 days and can be longer, if complications develop. The drain remains in place until the pus stops draining, and the nursing staff changes the gauze packing as needed. Intravenous antibiotics continue throughout the hospitalization.