Frequency of infection in cholelithiasis

ABSTRACT

To determine the frequency of infection in cholelithiasis and find common infecting organisms with their antibiotic sensitivity. A descriptive study. This study was conducted in Surgical Unit - I, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre [JPMC], Karachi, Pakistan, from April 2001 to March 2002. First 100 cases of cholelithiasis, selected and operated by open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this study. Patients with acute cholecystitis, history of jaundice, stones and / or dilated common bile duct were excluded from the study. Ultrasound was the main tool for pre-operative diagnosis. During cholecystectomy, bile was aspirated and specimens were sent to laboratory for microbiological examination. The results were recorded on a proforma. Out of 100, 36 patients had positive bile culture. The most common organism was E. coli [17 patients] followed by Klebsiella [9], Pseudomonas [6], Staphylococcus aureus [2], Salmonella [1] and Bacteroids fragalis [1] patient. In this study, most of the biliary organisms were highly sensitive to the 2nd generation cephalosporins and quinolones. From the bacteriological assessment, it seems that both endogenous and exogenous contamination were the causes of wound sepsis. It was also found that the infection of bile did not increase the risk of postoperative wound infection when prophylactic perioperative antibiotics were used