Abstract

BackgroundA typical pathway for treatment of choledocholithiasis (CD) in emergency general surgery patients involves same admission laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) with either preoperative or postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The goal of this study was to describe our initial experience at a safety net hospital with acute care surgeon-performed laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) when CD is confirmed at the time of LC. We hypothesized that this strategy would result in reduced length of stay, and lower charges compared to ERCP. MethodsThis was a retrospective case control study over a 2 year period matching LCBDE to ERCP (1:3) among a cohort of patients with CD confirmed at first procedure. Data is reported as median (interquartile range). Statistical analysis used the Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-squared tests with 95% confidence interval. ResultsDemographics, preoperative WBC, and bilirubin were similar between the LCBDE (n = 14) and ERCP (n = 37) groups. Success rate for LCBDE was 11/14 (79%), and the remaining three subjects successfully underwent post-operative ERCP. Overall complication rate for the LCBDE group was 1/14 (7%) and the readmission rate was 0/14 (0%). Length of stay for LCBDE vs ERCP was 2.5 (1–3) vs 5 (3–5) days (p < 0.01). Charges during initial hospitalization was $35858 ($26587-$49570) vs $48662 ($36018-$57106) (p = 0.05). ConclusionsLCBDE by acute care surgeons at the time of LC was associated with lower charges, reduced hospital length of stay, low rates of post-operative complications, and no readmissions.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.