Researchers have found in a new study published in BMC Surgery by Hao Lu, Shikuan Li, Dawei Zhang, Shengqiang Wang, Hairui Liu, Chengzhi Wang, and Honghao Peng that there was no clear advantage to routine abdominal drain placement in adults undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy for perforated appendicitis. The authors report that across matched patient groups, use of a drain was associated with longer operative time, extended antibiotic courses, and longer hospital stay, but did not reduce surgical site infection rates. Their findings support current guideline trends that discourage routine drainage, while noting that further multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed for definitive confirmation.

The investigators retrospectively reviewed clinical data from adult patients treated

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