OPEN CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Course overview

GALLBLADDER REMOVAL, ALSO KNOWN AS CHOLECYSTECTOMY, IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROCEDURES IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION CHOLECYSTECTOMIES DONE ANNUALLY. BEFORE 1991, AN OPEN TECHNIQUE WAS THE STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR CHOLECYSTECTOMY. THIS USUALLY INCLUDED PERFORMING AN INTRAOPERATIVE CHOLANGIOGRAM, AND PATIENTS USUALLY HAD A POSTOPERATIVE STAY BETWEEN 2 AND 6 DAYS. WITH THE ADVENT OF LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IN THE EARLY 1990S, THE LAPAROSCOPIC APPROACH HAS BECOME THE GOLD STANDARD FOR CHOLECYSTECTOMY. TODAY, 92 PERCENT OF CHOLECYSTECTOMIES ARE DONE LAPAROSCOPICALLY. HOWEVER, LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF BILE DUCT INJURIES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, AND TECHNIQUE INVOLVED IN PERFORMING AN OPEN CHOLECYSTECTOMY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE PREOPERATIVE AND POSTOPERATIVE CARE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING THIS PROCEDURE.