Background: Missed appendicitis is a frequent cause of professional liability in an emergency department (ED).The study objective was assessed and compared presentation of patients with missed appendicitis over time at their institution and to identify the clinical features that distinguish children with misdiagnosed appendicitis with those of children with appendicitis initially diagnosed correctly.
Methods: A retrospective review of all children with appendicitis diagnosed in the ED between January and December 2012 was conducted.
Results: A total of 400 patients were included in this study. Only 14 (3.5%) were misdiagnosed that this is in contrast to others studies, where reported rates vary from 4.8% to 18%. We didn`t found any specific reason for patient misdiagnosed that help to correctly diagnosis compared with patients diagnosed correctly.
Conclusion: The low number of patients misdiagnosed is a result of the successful practice of medical staff during the night shift and also the availability of the ultrasound during the 24 hours of the day.
