Acute Appendicitis in Infants. A Case Report

Acute appendicitis is more common in school-age children, but it rarely occurs in infants. The younger the patient, the fastest the course of the disease. In addition, there are greater risks of complications. A case of a nine-month-old infant, admitted to the pediatric hospital with fever and diarrhea, is presented. After several tests, he underwent surgery. Peritonitis caused by acute gangrenous appendicitis was diagnosed. While the patient was in the intensive care unit, he suffered a septic shock and acute multiple organ failure. As a result, he died 24 hours later. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of acute gangrenous appendicitis. Acute appendicitis is a disease that must be considered by doctors who treat infants with fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain related to irritability. Thus, an early diagnosis of the disease as well as the implementation of an appropriate surgical treatment can be performed.