Once a diagnosis of acute appendicitis has been made and appendectomy decided upon, which of the following is/are true?

A. Prophylactic antibiotics should be administered.

C. If the appendix is not ruptured and not gangrenous, antibiotics may be discontinued after 24 hours.

DISCUSSION: It is generally held that patients with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis should receive antibiotics such as cefoxitin or cefotetan. Administration can be discontinued after 24 hours if the appendix is not gangrenous or ruptured. Multiple antibiotics are unnecessary in straightforward cases.