New technique developed to better identify risk for appendicitis

Dr. Anupam Kharbanda, chief of critical care services, worked with HealthPartners to develop a pediatric appendicitis risk calculator (pARC) to better identify a patient’s risk for appendicitis. Belly pain accounts for one in 10 visits to pediatric emergency departments across the country but a variety of factors, including appendicitis, can cause that pain. The calculator helps to reduce the use of CT scans as well as health care expenditures. Read the full Star Tribune story: Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis finds a better test for appendicitis.