No significant persistent symptoms from gallstones left in the abdomen after cholecystectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Perforation of the gallbladder during cholecystectomy can lead to spillage of gallstones. The aim of this study was to examine if patients with gallstones left in the abdomen after cholecystectomy suffer persisting symptoms. METHOD: This study was based on data from the Swedish Register for Gallstone Surgery. Patients with intraoperative gallbladder perforation where it is suspected that gallstones remain in the abdomen were matched with patients that had undergone a cholecystectomy with no suspicion of spilled gallstones. All patients were sent a validated questionnaire including 21 items concerning abdominal pain and inflammatory symptoms. Items were divided into four groups: abdominal pain, consequences of pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and repeated operation. Mean scores were compared between the study group and the control group using a linear regression model. RESULTS: The questionnaire was sent to 4269 subjects, and the response rate was 66 %. No significant differences were seen between the study and control groups in the four domains. In the repeated operation domain, 7.1 % in the study group and 5.3 % in the control group underwent a repeated operation (p = 0.057). CONCLUSION: Gallstones left in the abdomen are not associated with long-term symptoms. There was a tendency towards a repeat operation in the group that suffered perforation of the gallbladder, although this finding was not significant.

Safety of cholecystectomy performed by surgeons who prefer fundus first versus surgeons who prefer a standard laparoscopic approach.

Background: An alternative method to standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SLC) is the "fundus first" method (FFLC). Concerns have been raised that FFLC can lead to misinterpretation of important anatomical structures, thus causing complications of a more serious kind than SLC. Comparisons between the methods are complicated by the fact that FFLC is often used as a rescue procedure in complicated cases. To avoid confounding related to this we conducted a population-based study with comparisons on the surgeon level. Method: In GallRiks, the Swedish registry for Gallbladder surgery, we stratified all cholecystectomies performed 2006-2020 in three groups: surgeries carried out by surgeons that uses FFLC in <20 % of the cases (N = 150,119), in 20-79 % of the cases (N = 10,212) and in 80 % or more of the cases (N = 3176). We compared the groups with logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age, surgical experience, year of surgery and history of acute cholecystitis. All surgical complications (bleeding, gallbladder perforation, visceral perforation, infection, and bile duct injury) were included as outcome. A separate analysis was done with regards to operation time. Results: No difference in incidence of all surgical complications or bile duct injury were seen between groups. The rates of bleeding (OR 0.34 [0.14-0.86]) and gallbladder perforation (OR 0.61 [0.45-0.82]) were significantly lower in the "fundus first > 80% group" and the operative time was shorter (OR 0.76 [0.69-0.83]). Conclusion: In this study including >160,000 cholecystectomies, both methods was found to be equally safe. Key message: During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the standard method of dissection and fundus first dissection are equally safe surgical techniques. Surgeons need to learn both methods to be able to use the one most appropriate for each individual case.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in acute cholecystectomy revisited: results of a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Evidence supporting the value of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) in surgery for acute cholecystitis is lacking. This study aimed to shed light on whether PAP in acute cholecystectomy for cholecystitis reduces the postoperative infectious complication (PIC) rate. Secondary outcomes were the prevalence of bacteriobilia, CRP values and leucocyte counts. METHODS: The study was performed as a single-centre, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised study. Patients with acute cholecystitis amenable for acute laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to either PAP (piperacillin/ tazobactam) or placebo, and the subsequent clinical course was followed. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were enrolled, 16 of whom were excluded due to protocol violation. PIC developed in 22 of the 90 patients included with no significant difference between the PAP and placebo groups (8 patients in the PAP group and 14 in the placebo arm, p = 0.193). The PIC rate was significantly higher in patients with a raised CRP at randomisation and on the day of surgery and in cases of conversion to an open procedure (p = 0.008, 0.004 and 0.017, respectively) but with no differences between the study groups. CONCLUSION: PAP does not affect the risk for PIC in patients with acute cholecystitis. The major risk factors determining PIC in these patients need defining, in particular, the impact of bacteriobilia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02619149) December 2, 2015.

Disparities in the regional, hospital and individual levels of antibiotic use in gallstone surgery in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance may be promoted by divergent routines and lack of conformity in antibiotic treatment, especially regarding the practice of antibiotic prophylaxis. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in gallstone surgery regarding antibiotic use in Sweden. METHODS: The study was based on data from the Swedish Register for Gallstone Surgery and ERCP (GallRiks) 2005-2015. Funnel plots were used to test impact of grouping factors, including, hospital and surgeon and to identify units that deviated from the rest of the population. RESULTS: After adjusting for cofounders including age, gender, ASA classification, indication for surgery, operation time, gallbladder perforation and emergency status, there were 0/21 (0%) at the regional level, 18/76 (24%) at the hospital level and 128/1038 (12%) at the surgeon level outside the 99.9% confidence interval (CI). The estimated median odds ratios were 1.13 (95% CI 1.00-1.31) at the regional level, 1.93 (95% CI 1.70-2.19) at the hospital level and 2.38 (95% CI 2.26-2.50) at the surgeon level. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences between hospitals and surgeons, but little or no differences between regions. These deviations confirm the lack of standardization in regards to prescription of antibiotic prophylaxis and the need more uniform routines regarding antibiotic usage. Randomized controlled trials and large population-based studies are necessary to assess assessing the effectiveness and safety of antibiotic prophylaxis in gallstone surgery.

Patient-Related Risk Factors for Postoperative Infection After Cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The impact of patient-related risk factors on the incidence of postoperative infection after cholecystectomy is relatively unknown. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore potential patient-related risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) and septicaemia following cholecystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All cholecystectomies registered in the Swedish national population-based register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks) 2006-2014 were identified. The study cohort was cross-matched with the Swedish National Patient Register in order to obtain data on patient history and postoperative infections. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed in order to assess the impact of various comorbidities on the risk for SSI and septicaemia. RESULTS: A total of 94,557 procedures were registered. A SSI was seen following 5300 procedures (5.6%), and septicaemia following 661 procedures (0.7%). There was a significantly increased risk for SSI in patients with connective tissue disease (odds ratio [OR] 1.404, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.208-1.633), complicated diabetes (OR 1.435, CI 1.205-1.708), uncomplicated diabetes (OR 1.391, CI 1.264-1.530), chronic kidney disease (OR 1.788, CI 1.458-2.192), cirrhosis (OR 1.764, CI 1.268-2.454) and obesity (OR 1.630, CI 1.475-1.802). There was a significantly higher risk for septicaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (OR 3.065, CI 2.120-4.430) or cirrhosis (OR 5.016, CI 3.019-8.336). CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Certain comorbidities have an impact on the risk for postoperative infection after cholecystectomy, especially SSI. This should be taken into account when planning the procedure and when deciding on prophylactic antibiotic treatment.