Patients with appendicitis who waited more than 72 hours after symptoms began to see a surgeon were about twice as likely to have a ruptured appendix, according to a global study of more than 45,000 patients published in The Lancet Global Health. Rupture rates rose from about 23% among people assessed within 12 hours to 48% among those assessed after 72 hours. The study covered 112 countries, and published summaries did not highlight U.S.-specific results.
The key delay was the time before patients reached a surgeon, not the wait inside the hospital. Short delays between surgical assessment and the operation were not linked to higher rupture risk. That puts the focus on how quickly people recognize symptoms and get to care.
