If your appendicitis is not treated, your appendix can burst. If your appendix bursts, it releases bacteria inside your body. This can cause life-threatening infections.
Emergency action required: Call 112 or 999 or go to your nearest emergency department now if:
- you have tummy pain that suddenly gets much worse and spreads across your stomach
Peritonitis
If your appendix bursts, it can cause peritonitis. This is when the lining of your tummy (peritoneum) becomes infected.
Symptoms of peritonitis can include:
- severe tummy pain that does not go away
- feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
- a high temperature (fever)
- a rapid heartbeat
- shortness of breath with rapid breathing
- a swollen tummy
If peritonitis is not treated, it can cause long-term problems and may even be fatal. Treatment is antibiotics and surgery to remove your appendix.
Abscesses
If your appendix bursts, an abscess may form around it. This is a painful collection of pus. It happens when your body tries to fight the infection.
Your doctor may treat the abscess with antibiotics. But they may need to drain the pus.
During the procedure, your doctor:
- Gives you a local anesthetic so you do not feel anything in the area.
- Inserts a needle through your skin.
- Inserts a drain to remove the pus.
If your doctor finds an abscess during surgery, the area is washed out. You will be given a course of antibiotics.
Adhesions
You can get abdominal adhesions after surgery on your appendix. This is when scar tissue forms between your organs and tissues in your tummy (abdomen). The organs and tissues can stick together.
Most adhesions are painless and do not cause complications. They usually begin to form in the first few days after your surgery. But you may not have symptoms for months or years.
Treatment can depend on where the adhesion is and how it affects you. Adhesions usually improve without surgery.
Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE
