Comparison of Outcomes of Antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA), United States, 2016-2020

Antibiotics are considered a feasible treatment for appendicitis, yet appendectomy remains the treatment standard in the United States. Previous randomized trials comparing these treatments excluded important subgroups and recruited small sample sizes but questions remain about the applicability of these previous findings. This study conducted the Comparison of Outcomes of antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA) randomized clinical trial to compare antibiotics with appendectomy among adults with appendicitis, including those with appendicolith. Those recruited comprised a diverse population, compared an overall measure of health status as the primary outcome, and included several secondary clinical and patient-reported outcomes, complications, and measures of healthcare utilization.