Pediatric Appendicitis Risk Calculator (pARC) in Children With Appendix Ultrasounds

NCT ID: NCT03522233

Last Updated: 2018-05-11

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Total Enrollment

800 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-09-23

Study Completion Date

2019-10-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common condition requiring emergency surgery in children. At a network of institutions nationwide, a tool called the pediatric appendicitis risk calculator (pARC)1 is being studied to assess patient's true risk of appendicitis and provide guidance for clinical management to ER physicians. Preliminary studies have found the pARC to be more accurate at predicting risk of appendicitis in children when compared to other scoring systems. The study objective is to assess acute care charges and clinical outcomes among children with an appendix ultrasound and a pARC score of less than \< 25% risk.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Background Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common condition requiring emergency surgery in children. The potential for morbidity and mortality from perforation of the appendix necessitates prompt diagnosis.2 Acute appendicitis scoring systems such as pediatric appendicitis score (PAS) use elements of history, exam findings, and lab tests to identify patients at high risk of having acute appendicitis.3 Despite having limited use for this intent 4,5 these scores are often used to stratify patients by risk for continued observation, imaging or operative care. 6 While CT scans may have higher diagnostic yield, its use is not without risk. CT- related radiation exposure has been shown to increase cancer risk. There have been US first strategies published by the American College of Radiology7 and the American College of Emergency Physicians.8 However, nearly 50% of appendix US examinations are equivocal, which poses a dilemma for EM physicians and results in variation in clinical care.

Various strategies exist for the diagnostic approach to the patient after equivocal US with symptoms of AA. While select patients may be safely discharged based on clinical judgment,9 emergency providers often obtain CT or admit patients for clinical observation. In a study conducted by Garcia et al., they concluded that a protocol of US followed by CT in children with negative or equivocal US exam results in beneficial management as well as cost savings.10 In a study by Gregory et al., they concluded that a clinical decision rule followed by staged imaging was found to be the most cost-effective approach for diagnosis of AA in children.11 Bachur et al. integrated PAS score with US findings and concluded that patients with high risk (PAS 7-10) but negative US or low risk (PAS 0-3) benefit from serial exam or further work up. 12 The addition of US to the strategy reduced CT utilization.11 Standardized radiology reports have also been shown to reduce CT scans and admissions for observation.13 At a network of institutions nationwide a tool called the pediatric appendicitis risk calculator (pARC)1 is being studied to assess patient's true risk of appendicitis and provide guidance for clinical management to ER physicians. Preliminary studies have found the pARC to be more accurate at predicting risk of appendicitis in children when compared to PAS score.

The study objective is to assess acute care charges and clinical outcomes among children with appendix US and pARC \< 25%. To the investigator's knowledge, this is the first study to do so in a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Appendicitis

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Patients between 5-18 years
* Patients who had an appendix ultrasound in one of our EDs

Exclusion Criteria

* Outside appendix ultrasound or abdominal CT obtained
* Previous significant abdominal surgery (for example appendectomy, short gut, ileostomy, Hirschsprungs with pull through)
* No CBC obtained (i.e. cannot determine pARC)
* Developmental or cognitive delay that impedes communication
* If there is suspected abuse
Minimum Eligible Age

5 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Callie Becker, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Children's Minnesota

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Children's Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Children's Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Brianna S McMichael, MPH

Role: CONTACT

612-813-7104

Heidi Vander Velden, MS

Role: CONTACT

(612) 813-7892

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Brianna McMichael, MPH

Role: primary

Brianna McMichael, MPH

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Kharbanda AB, Vazquez-Benitez G, Ballard DW, Vinson DR, Chettipally UK, Kene MV, Dehmer SP, Bachur RG, Dayan PS, Kuppermann N, O'Connor PJ, Kharbanda EO. Development and Validation of a Novel Pediatric Appendicitis Risk Calculator (pARC). Pediatrics. 2018 Apr;141(4):e20172699. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2699. Epub 2018 Mar 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29535251 (View on PubMed)

Pena BM, Taylor GA, Lund DP, Mandl KD. Effect of computed tomography on patient management and costs in children with suspected appendicitis. Pediatrics. 1999 Sep;104(3 Pt 1):440-6. doi: 10.1542/peds.104.3.440.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10469767 (View on PubMed)

Samuel M. Pediatric appendicitis score. J Pediatr Surg. 2002 Jun;37(6):877-81. doi: 10.1053/jpsu.2002.32893.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12037754 (View on PubMed)

Schneider C, Kharbanda A, Bachur R. Evaluating appendicitis scoring systems using a prospective pediatric cohort. Ann Emerg Med. 2007 Jun;49(6):778-84, 784.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2006.12.016. Epub 2007 Mar 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17383771 (View on PubMed)

Ebell MH, Shinholser J. What are the most clinically useful cutoffs for the Alvarado and Pediatric Appendicitis Scores? A systematic review. Ann Emerg Med. 2014 Oct;64(4):365-372.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.02.025. Epub 2014 Apr 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24731432 (View on PubMed)

Smith MP, Katz DS, Lalani T, Carucci LR, Cash BD, Kim DH, Piorkowski RJ, Small WC, Spottswood SE, Tulchinsky M, Yaghmai V, Yee J, Rosen MP. ACR Appropriateness Criteria(R) Right Lower Quadrant Pain--Suspected Appendicitis. Ultrasound Q. 2015 Jun;31(2):85-91. doi: 10.1097/RUQ.0000000000000118.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25364964 (View on PubMed)

Howell JM, Eddy OL, Lukens TW, Thiessen ME, Weingart SD, Decker WW; American College of Emergency Physicians. Clinical policy: Critical issues in the evaluation and management of emergency department patients with suspected appendicitis. Ann Emerg Med. 2010 Jan;55(1):71-116. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.10.004.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20116016 (View on PubMed)

Ross MJ, Liu H, Netherton SJ, Eccles R, Chen PW, Boag G, Morrison E, Thompson GC. Outcomes of children with suspected appendicitis and incompletely visualized appendix on ultrasound. Acad Emerg Med. 2014 May;21(5):538-42. doi: 10.1111/acem.12377.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24842505 (View on PubMed)

Pena BM, Taylor GA, Fishman SJ, Mandl KD. Costs and effectiveness of ultrasonography and limited computed tomography for diagnosing appendicitis in children. Pediatrics. 2000 Oct;106(4):672-6. doi: 10.1542/peds.106.4.672.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11015507 (View on PubMed)

Gregory S, Kuntz K, Sainfort F, Kharbanda A. Cost-Effectiveness of Integrating a Clinical Decision Rule and Staged Imaging Protocol for Diagnosis of Appendicitis. Value Health. 2016 Jan;19(1):28-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jval.2015.10.007. Epub 2015 Dec 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26797233 (View on PubMed)

Bachur RG, Callahan MJ, Monuteaux MC, Rangel SJ. Integration of ultrasound findings and a clinical score in the diagnostic evaluation of pediatric appendicitis. J Pediatr. 2015 May;166(5):1134-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.01.034. Epub 2015 Feb 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25708690 (View on PubMed)

Partain KN, Patel AU, Travers C, Short HL, Braithwaite K, Loewen J, Heiss KF, Raval MV. Improving ultrasound for appendicitis through standardized reporting of secondary signs. J Pediatr Surg. 2017 Aug;52(8):1273-1279. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2016.11.045. Epub 2016 Dec 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27939802 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

1708-113

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.