Treatment regimens of trials included for meta-analysis, comparing conservative treatment versus appendicectomy in children with uncomplicated appendicitis
| First author | Ref | Diet | Intravenous antibiotics | Duration of intravenous antibiotics* (days) | Oral antibiotics | Duration of oral treatment† (days) |
| Hartwich | 13 | No diet | Piperacillin-tazobactam | 0.3 (2 doses, 8 hours) | Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid | 7 |
| Minneci | 14 | Nothing by mouth for at least 12 hours | Piperacillin-tazobactam; or ciprofloxacin, metronidazole | One or more | Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid; or ciprofloxacin, metronidazole | 9 |
| Mudri | 15 | NR | Ciprofloxacin, metronidazole | 1 (median 24 hours) | Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid | 7 |
| Svensson | 16 | Nothing per os for 24 hours, with protocol violations (n NR) | Meropenem, metronidazole | Two or more | Ciprofloxacin, metronidazole | 8 |
| Tanaka | 17 | No diet | Cefmetazole for 2 days; if no decrease of white blood cell count over 25%: ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftazidime or meropenem or imipenem-cilastatin, gentamicin | 6.6 (mean) | No oral treatment | – |
*Decision for cessation of intravenous antibiotics was based on clinical improvement or the absence of deterioration in four studies12 14 16 and not reported in one study.15 In one study antibiotics were only administered intravenously with the condition that a level of C reactive protein of less than 0.5 mg/dL was required before cessation.17
†Decision for cessation of oral antibiotics was based on the predefined study schedule in the four studies using oral antibiotics.13–16
NR, not reported; Ref, Reference number as in reference list.