LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY: A CLINICAL PRACTICE AUDIT

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate laparoscopic cholecystectomy by a clinical practice audit at Military Hospital, Rawalpindi.

Study Design: Prospective study.

 Place and Duration of Study: Surgical department Military Hospital from Jul 2011-Dec 2013.

Material and Methods: A total of 1020 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute or chronic cholecystitis and gallstone pancreatitis were included in our study while those who had previously undergone abdominal surgeries, those with high risk for general anesthesia, immunocompromised patients, with age greater than 70 years and having comorbidities like cardiac insufficiency, severe asthma, chronic liver disease with ascites and compromised renal functions were excluded from the study. Patients’ demographic data, operative time, intra-operative findings, intra-operative difficulties, post-operative complications, conversion rate to open cholecystectomy and post-operative recovery time were recorded. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21.

Results: Out of 1020 patients 907 were females while 113 were males with male to female ratio of 1:8.02. Age range was 20-70 with mean age of 50 ± 10.456 years. 44.7% patients presented with the clinical features of acute cholecystitis, 540 (52.94%) with chronic cholecystitis and 23 (2.28%) with acute pancreatitis. Mean operative time was 20 minutes in asymptomatic patients, while 40 minutes in acute cholecystitis and 35 minutes in chronic gallstone disease. Gall bladder perforation, bleeding from cystic artery and bile spillage were mostly encountered per-operative difficulties. Only 37 (3.6%) patients were converted to open cholecystectomy. Post-operative complications occur in only 122 (12%) patients. 938 (92%) patients were discharged within 48 hours. of surgery.

Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our setup has comparable results to the data available from other surgical facilities around the world and it has become a gold standard technique for the treatment of non-complicated gallstone disease.