Stephen Colbert cancels ‘Late Show’ episode due to ruptured appendix

Colbert’s ruptured appendix likely began as appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix.

Dr. Tracy ChildsColbert, a board-certified general and colorectal surgeon and chief of surgery at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., said Colbert had advanced appendicitis, which caused a hole. .

“Just because it ruptured doesn’t mean it exploded,” she told Healthline. “It means the wall of the appendix has become a little gangrenous from the infection process.”

Dr. Child described the process of appendicitis as a collection of fluid, like an abscess or inflammatory mass.

If appendicitis ruptures or perforates, immediate medical attention is required.

“You don’t go from completely zero to perforated appendix right away,” Dr. Childs said, noting that it takes time for a ruptured appendix to develop.

“[But] Delaying diagnosis can lead to gangrenous appendicitis, which can lead to more serious complications, she said.

In the United States, the standard treatment for acute appendicitis is surgery to remove the appendix.

However, some the study Antibiotics have shown that they may be as effective as surgery in treating appendicitis, but results may vary depending on your individual health situation. In most cases, antibiotics should not be considered as an alternative to appendectomy.

“Most people choose surgery and then go home and live their lives,” Childs says.

“Sometimes when you have a large inflammatory mass and you have a hole, your body collects the surrounding tissue and wall-offs the hole,” she explained.

“Often, we treat them with antibiotics for five to seven days, let everything cool down, and then do an interval appendectomy.” [removal of the appendix],” she added.

Appendicitis can range in severity from simple to complex.

For example, a patient may have a microperforation or a larger perforation with an abscess or inflammatory mass.

For early unruptured or uncomplicated appendicitis, patients are usually discharged from the hospital within a few hours after surgery and are free to return to their normal daily lives and work, according to Childs.

However, in cases of complicated appendicitis, patients may be hospitalized for more than a day or two, may require IV antibiotics, and infected fluids may need to be drained. These people often have more severe symptoms, and it may take him two weeks or more to recover.

“The worse you are before surgery, the longer your recovery will be after surgery,” Childs said.

Appendicitis is an emergency that requires immediate treatment and can progress to perforated or ruptured appendicitis.

The sooner you treat it, the better your chances of preventing rupture.

symptoms of appendicitis include:

• abdominal pain
• Anorexia
• vomiting
• constipation
• diarrhea
• heat

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should go to the emergency room immediately. Your health care professional will likely order a CT scan to determine if you have appendicitis.

“Appendicitis is slightly more common in men than women. It most commonly occurs in people in their teens and 20s, but can affect people of all ages, including older adults,” according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. It can happen.

Appendicitis requires medical attention and is a very serious condition if left untreated.

Treating appendicitis with minimally invasive appendectomy can prevent progression of ruptured appendicitis.

Dr. Child described untreated perforated appendicitis as a “smoldering local infection,” a blockage in the form of a localized abscess or inflamed mass.

“If left untreated, you can develop gangrenous appendicitis, even perforation, and local or systemic peritonitis,” she says.

In these rare and serious cases, peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum (the thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen and surrounds most of the abdominal organs)) can lead to sepsis, which can lead to death.

“If you seek access to care early in the course, you have a choice. Otherwise you get sick and you don’t have a choice,” Childs said.

The appendix is ​​a small finger-shaped bag of intestinal tissue located between the small and large intestines.

Appendicitis is common, but its causes are not completely understood.

Childs said appendicitis has nothing to do with diet, lack of exercise or genetics. Appendicitis can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or racial or ethnic background.

The cause of appendicitis is as mysterious as why we have this pinky-shaped organ in the first place.

“We don’t know what the function of the appendix is,” Childs says.

“It’s alive and feels like something is stuck on it. Then it swells, cuts off its own blood supply, becomes infected, progresses to gangrenous changes and perforation, which is exudation of infected contents, and then , you can develop an abscess or an inflammatory mass or even generalized peritonitis. That’s how it is. It’s a mechanical problem,” she said.

“That’s just bad luck.”

“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert announced that this week’s show has been canceled as he recovers from surgery for a ruptured appendix.

Experts say a ruptured or perforated appendix is ​​a complication of untreated appendicitis, a common and serious medical condition.

In most cases, surgery is recommended to treat appendicitis. In some cases, antibiotics may be sufficient.

If you have symptoms similar to appendicitis, you should see a doctor immediately.