Bonasso PC, et al. - In view of the observed variation in postoperative antibiotics in children with complicated appendicitis, researchers investigated the influence of white blood count (WBC) at discharge on oral antibiotic therapy, abscess rate, and readmission rate. A two year review of children with complicated appendicitis was performed. Children were administered 10 day antibiotic therapy (IV and oral) and home oral antibiotics at discharge in the pre-protocol group. In the post-protocol group, seven days of oral antibiotic therapy was given to children with leukocytosis, whereas, oral home antibiotics were not prescribed to children without leukocytosis. Outcomes revealed no difference between mean hospital days after operation, means days of inpatient intravenous antibiotics, post-operative abscess rates, or readmission rate. A significant decrease in home antibiotic use was thus noted with limiting home antibiotics at discharge to children with leukocytosis.