Cholecystectomy with and without drainage. A randomized, prospective study of 300 patients.
A randomized, prospective study of 300 cholecystectomies was undertaken to evaluate the merits of drainage through a standard Penrose or Chaffin-Pratt sump tube matched against no drainage at all. There was no difference in mortality or length of hospital stay. There was, however, a significantly higher incidence of postoperative pyrexia due to atelectasis and wound infection in the drainage groups. Neither drain fulfilled its objective of providing outflow for a subhepatic collection, thus avoiding bile peritonitis. This study suggests that surgical drainage after every uncomplicated cholecystectomy is unnecessary and unwise.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology