Drains After Cholecystectomy

Abstract

To the Editor .—I read with great interest the article by Drs Ross and Quinlan entitled Eight Hundred Cholecystectomies: A Plea for Many Fewer Drains ( Arch Surg 110:721, 1975). It is an excellent article, clearly illustrating that cholecystectomy often does not require wound drainage. My comments are primarily in reference to the type of wound drainage employed in this type of surgery. For approximately four years, my associates and I have used a single, thickwalled silicone elastomer tube. The tube has several side holes, and it is introduced through a stab wound and attached to a sterile bile bag so that a closed drainage system is instituted. The drain is removed almost routinely on the third day after surgery, along with the skin clips. Although I have no statistical study to bear me out, I am certain that most of our patients are discharged prior to the seventh postoperative day.