Postoperative complications of cholecystectomy in Victorian public hospitals

Diarrhoea after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: incidence and main determinants

BACKGROUND

Data on the effect of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) on bowel function are controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of postcholecystectomy diarrhoea (PCD) and to identify patient characteristics that can be used as predictors in daily practice.

METHODS

In 100 consecutive patients who underwent LC, data were obtained from clinical records and telephone survey 6-12 months postoperatively using standardized questionnaire.

RESULTS

Postoperatively, 19 patients had diarrhoea, including 17 with new onset. Two patients with preoperative and postoperative diarrhoea were excluded from further analysis. Of 98 patients (mean age 58.1 +/- 19.4 years; 62 women) 34 were younger than 50 years, 33 were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/cm(2)) and 29 were obese (BMI >30 kg/cm(2)). PCD was significantly associated with younger age (odds ratio (OR) 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-9.96; P = 0.026), higher BMI (OR 1.1; 95%CI 1.01-1.18; P = 0.019) and food intolerance postoperatively (OR 3.4; 95%CI 1.18-10.08; P = 0.025). PCD was most common with combination of two or three of the following factors: age <50 years, male sex, BMI >25 kg/cm(2). The highest risk of developing PCD was observed in obese men younger than 50 (OR 26.1), and the lowest in persons aged >50 years with BMI <25 kg/cm(2) (OR = 0.8).

CONCLUSION

After LC, 17% of patients reported troublesome new-onset diarrhoea. PCD was independently associated with younger age, especially <50, and postoperative food intolerance. Coexistence of age <50 with high BMI and male sex was predictive for PCD.

Laparoscope use and surgical site infections in digestive surgery

OBJECTIVE

To compare surgical site infection (SSI) rates in open or laparoscopic appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and colon surgery. To investigate the effect of laparoscopy on SSI in these interventions.

BACKGROUND

Lower rates of SSI have been reported among various advantages associated with laparoscopy when compared with open surgery, particularly in cholecystectomy. However, biases such as the lack of postdischarge follow-up and confounding factors might have contributed to the observed differences between the 2 techniques.

METHODS

This observational study was based on prospectively collected data from an SSI surveillance program in 8 Swiss hospitals between March 1998 and December 2004, including a standardized postdischarge follow-up. SSI rates were compared between laparoscopic and open interventions. Factors associated with SSI were identified by using logistic regression models to adjust for potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

SSI rates in laparoscopic and open interventions were respectively 59/1051 (5.6%) versus 117/1417 (8.3%) in appendectomy (P = 0.01), 46/2606 (1.7%) versus 35/444 (7.9%) in cholecystectomy (P < 0.0001), and 35/311 (11.3%) versus 400/1781 (22.5%) in colon surgery (P < 0.0001). After adjustment, laparoscopic interventions were associated with a decreased risk for SSI: OR = 0.61 (95% CI 0.43-0.87) in appendectomy, 0.27 (0.16-0.43) in cholecystectomy, and 0.43 (0.29-0.63) in colon surgery. The observed effect of laparoscopic techniques was due to a reduction in the rates of incisional infections, rather than in those of organ/space infections.

CONCLUSION

When feasible, a laparoscopic approach should be preferred over open surgery to lower the risks of SSI.