Introduction:

risk stratification of patients with suspected acute appendicitis using clinical scoring systems could guide decision-making to reduce admissions, optimize the usefulness of diagnostic imaging and prevent negative surgical scans.

Objective:

to evaluate the usefulness of the Alvarado Scale for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the Emergency Department of the Hospital Nacional Itauguá from January 2018 to December 2019.

Methodology:

descriptive observational cross-sectional study with nonprobabilistic sampling of consecutive cases. A Microsoft Excel electronic spreadsheet contained in the patient files was used for the collection of data for further analysis and descriptive statistical presentation.

Results:

121 cases of acute appendicitis were recorded, of which 53.71 % were male. 100 % of the sample presented pain in the right iliac fossa; the presence of Blumberg sign was detected in 67 % of the patients. 49.85 % of the sample presented an 8-10 score according to the Alvarado Scale. 90.08 % of the patients presented some type of appendicitis in the pathological anatomy.

Conclusion:

the study reveals that the Alvarado Scale is a useful and important tool for the systematic application of a diagnostic score in emergency services, which allows to reduce consequently the margin of diagnostic error and the possible sanitary, economic and legal implications.

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