ACUTE APPENDICITIS IN AN 8-MONTH-OLD INFANT

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594432407055

• Palavras-chave: Apendicitis, Lactantes, Diagnóstico,

• Keywords: Appendicitis, Infants, Diagnosis.

• Abstract:

  Acute appendicitis is more common in school-age children, but rare in children under one year of age. The younger the patient, the faster the disease progresses and the risk of complications is usually greater in these cases. The case of an 8-month-old infant admitted to the pediatric hospital due to fever and vomiting is presented. After several examinations, he underwent surgery, a laparotomy was performed, finding a moderate amount of purulent fluid which was aspirated, an inflamed appendix was located with abundant fibrin on its surface. Already in the intensive care unit, he suffered septic shock that responded well to treatment. Acute appendicitis in infants is a difficult disease to diagnose, but physicians in charge of caring for infants with fever, diarrhea, and irritability attributed to abdominal pain must consider it. This way, early recognition of the disease can be carried out and timely surgical treatment can be carried out.