title: Uptime as a measure of recovery in children postappendectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to objectively measure recovery time after open and laparoscopic appendectomy using an activity monitor (PAL 1).
  
  
  METHODS
  The PAL 1 records the amount of time that the subject is upright (uptime). Children wore the PAL 1 for 10 days continuously, beginning within the first 48 hours postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Uptime data were collected for 5 or more days for 42 children (open, n = 16; laparoscopic, n = 26). All children had low levels of uptime in the initial postoperative period. There was weak evidence of a quicker recovery rate for children in the laparoscopic group (P =.09). The difference in mean uptime between groups was of statistical significance by day 7 postoperatively with children in the laparoscopic group having a higher mean uptime than those in the open group (difference of 0.7 hours; 95% confidence intervals 0.0 to 1.4 hours in a 24-hour period).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show that recovery postappendectomy can be quantified by the measurement of uptime and that children undergoing a laparoscopic procedure may recover marginally more quickly than those undergoing an open procedure.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eldridge
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kimber
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hutson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001062:Appendectomy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation; D009043:Motor Activity; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function