How does infected bile affect the postoperative course of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy?
OBJECTIVE
To assess the rate of infected bile in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to study the influence on the postoperative infective complications in this group of patients.


METHODS
Bile samples of 247 patients undergoing LC were collected and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. All patients were given prophylactic antibiotics.


RESULTS
The overall rate of infected bile was 12.8% (56 positive cultures); of these, 54 were aerobic and 2 anaerobic bacteria. Only 2 patients developed infection at the umbilical site, and in both, the bile was sterile. None of the patients with positive bile cultures developed any signs of infection during a mean follow-up period of 26 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall rate of septic complications following LC is extremely low, and at least in our study no correlation was found between infected bile and septic complications.
Gold-Deutch
R
R
Department of Surgery B, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Zerifin, Israel.
Mashiach
R
R
Boldur
I
I
Ferszt
M
M
Negri
M
M
Halperin
Z
Z
Lin
G
G
Sackier
J
J
Halevy
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D001646:Bile / Q000382:microbiology*; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors