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AVOIDING THE KNIFE

Study: Appendicitis Treatable with Pills

3 out of 4 didn’t need surgery.

cheats/2015/06/16/study-appendicitis-treatable-with-pills/150616-appendicitis-cheat_yi6bbv

Kham/REUTERS

A new Finnish study has revealed that 3 out of 4 patients with appendicitis were able to recover with the use of antibiotics instead of surgery, which has been the primary form of treatment for more than 100 years. The 530 patients ranged from 18 to 60-years-old and had their treatment decided at random. Doctors found that the majority of those who were given antibiotics—a combination of intravenous drugs and pills—without surgery recovered quickly and easily. The ones who required surgery after antibiotics were none worse off. The results only apply to uncomplicated appendicitis.

Read it at New York Times

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