title: Association of positive bile cultures with the magnitude of surgery and the patients' age.
abstract: Over a 5-year period we studied bile samples of 366 patients undergoing uncomplicated elective cholecystectomies, performed in the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow. The study aimed to establish the rate of positive bile cultures and the frequency and order of cultured organism therefrom, and to explore the relationship between positive cultures, magnitude of the surgery undertaken and age of patients. The results showed 17 different organisms in a variety of combinations. Culture was positive in 19.9% of cases, of which 69.9% grew one type of organism, 23.3% grew two types, and 6.8% grew more than two types. The number of positive cultures increased in relationship to the magnitude of the surgical procedure undertaken. Cultures were positive in 17.5% of cases undergoing simple cholecystectomy, 23.6% of cases undergoing cholecystectomy and cholangiography and 44.4% of cases undergoing cholecystectomy with exploration of the common bile duct (CBD). The rate of positive cultures also increased with increasing age, with a steep rise over the age of 60 years.
authors.affiliation: Garrick Hospital, Stranraer, UK.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Samy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: MacBain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001646:Bile / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002758:Cholangiography; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged