O-EGS02 Effective use of afternoon Day Case Theatre Lists for Emergency Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on Emergency Surgery Ambulatory Care (ESAC) Pathway

Abstract

Abstract Background Gallstone disease is a common entity and affects up to 10-15% of the European population. The majority of these cases are asymptomatic but approximately 20% will develop complications such as severe biliary colic, cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis and pancreatitis. Early cholecystectomy in patients suffering from symptomatic gallstones can improve post-operative outcomes, avoid re-attendance and reduce overall length of hospital stay. We describe how two afternoon day case theatre lists were successfully utilised to prevent surgical admissions by enabling laparoscopic cholecystectomy on an urgent basis. Methods A sustainable pathway for symptomatic gallstones was introduced to Emergency Surgery Ambulatory Care (ESAC). Patients presenting with acute symptoms, well enough for ambulatory care, were referred to ESAC for diagnosis and management. Patients fit for surgery underwent pre-operative assessment before being operated on one of two weekly afternoon lists. A standardised, evidence-based approach was used for all laparoscopic cholecystectomies to ensure homogeneity of technique and patient care. This included pre-incision local anaesthetic, low flow and pressures intra-operatively, adequate analgesia to-take-home, and follow-up telephone consultation at 48hrs. Prospective data collection began in 2019 looking at hospital admission rate and 30-day re-presentation. Results Analysis was performed on data collected from September 2019 to July 2021. 151 patients had laparoscopic cholecystectomies, 107 were female and 44 male. Age range was 18-83 (median age 49) and median time to operation was 3 days. Overall, the spectrum of gallstone disease was 81 biliary colic, 44 cholecystitis, 20 pancreatitis and 6 choledocholithiasis. 18 patients were admitted post-operatively with length of stay ranging 1-6 days (median 1.5 days). 17 patients re-presented within 30 days, mainly for abdominal or pleuritic chest pain, although one patient required ERCP for CBD stones and another had pancreatitis. Conclusions Emergency surgery for symptomatic gallstone disease can be performed successfully on a day case basis. At our centre, the rate of post-operative admission was 12% and 30-day re-presentation was 11%. Standardisation of referrals, assessment and operative technique can achieve excellent outcomes with low rates of hospital admission and post-operative complications.