Effect of emergency integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine plus clinical nursing pathway in surgically-treated acute appendicitis patients

doi:10.4240/wjgs.122365

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Publication Name

World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

ISSN

1948-9366

Publisher of This Article

Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

Retrospective Study

Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Gastrointest Surg. Nov 27, 2026; 18(11): 122365
Published online Nov 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.122365

Effect of emergency integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine plus clinical nursing pathway in surgically-treated acute appendicitis patients

Qian Miao, Jing-Dan Yuan, Yue-Guang Li, Lin-Mei Shi

Qian Miao, Jing-Dan Yuan, Yue-Guang Li, Lin-Mei Shi, Department of Emergency, Tianjin Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Hospital (Tianjin Nankai Hospital), Tianjin 300100, China

Author contributions: Miao Q designed the research and wrote the first manuscript, conducted the analysis and provided guidance for the research; Miao Q, Yuan JD, Li YG, and Shi LM contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.

Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Tianjin Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Hospital (Tianjin Nankai Hospital) (approval No. NKYY_YXKT_IRB_2026_029_01).

Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.

Corresponding author: Qian Miao, Department of Emergency, Tianjin Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Hospital (Tianjin Nankai Hospital), No. 6 Changjiang Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300100, China. myworldsky2025@163.com

Received: June 10, 2026
Revised: July 27, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: November 27, 2026
Processing time: 154 Days and 18.7 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Given the high risk of postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery for acute appendicitis (AA), optimizing management methods is critical.

AIM

To elucidate the effects of emergency integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine (ITCWM) combined with clinical nursing pathway (CNP) on surgical candidates for AA.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 130 individuals with AA requiring surgical intervention at Tianjin Nankai Hospital from September 2022 to September 2025. This cohort included 60 cases in the control group, which received routine nursing care, and 70 patients in the research group, who were treated with emergency ITCWM and CNP. Comparative analyses between the groups assessed several factors, including surgical recovery (time to bowel sound recovery, first flatus, ambulation, and length of hospital stay), postoperative pain (measured by the Numeric Rating Scale), mental state (Hamilton Depression/Anxiety Scale), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and complications (ileus, uroschesis, incision infection).

RESULTS

The data revealed a significantly shorter time to bowel sound recovery, first flatus, and ambulation, along with earlier hospital discharge and lower Numeric Rating Scale scores on postoperative days 1 and 3 in the research group compared to controls. Reductions in Hamilton Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were noted on the 1^st and 3^rd postoperative days, alongside a lower total complication rate (7.14% vs 20.00%).

CONCLUSION

The integration of emergency ITCWM and CNP demonstrates substantial advantages for AA patients requiring surgery, indicating a strong potential for clinical application.

Keywords: Emergency; Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine; Clinical nursing pathway; Acute appendicitis surgery; Application effect

Core Tip: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine combined with clinical nursing pathway compared to conventional nursing in patients undergoing surgery for acute appendicitis. A series of evaluations indicated that integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine plus clinical nursing pathway offers significant clinical advantages for acute appendicitis surgery patients, evidenced by enhanced gastrointestinal function, accelerated recovery, improved pain relief, reduced negative emotions, and improved sleep quality, along with a preventive effect on complications.