Immediate laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: no need to wait

Stevens, Kent A.; Chi, Albert; Lucas, Layla C.; Porter, John M.; Williams, Mark D.

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2006.08.040

« Previous Next »The American Journal of Surgery
Volume 192, Issue 6 , Pages 756-761, December 2006

Immediate laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: no need to wait

Presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Surgical Congress, Kauai, Hawaii, April 3–7, 2006

University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Trauma/Critical Care, Rm 5411, 1501 N Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724-5063, USA

Received 15 April 2006; received in revised form 10 August 2006

Abstract

Background

Early, within 72 hours, laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute chlolecystitis (AC) is the standard of care. We reviewed our experience with immediate (within 24 hours) LC for AC to determine whether this also was safe.

Methods

Group 1, those patients who had LC for AC within 24 hours was compared with group 2, those who had LC for AC after 24 hours.

Results

Of 253 consecutive patients, 132 were in group 1 and 121 were in group 2. There were no differences in group 1 versus group 2 in demographics, clinical severity of disease, mean operating time (92 minutes versus 95 minutes, P =.2), conversion (9% versus 6%, P = .3), and complications (7% versus 9%, P = .5). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that the timing of LC for AC was not associated with longer than average operating times.