title: Concomitant cholecystectomy and open heart surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cholelithiasis may be present concomitantly with cardiac disease. We performed a retrospective study to verify the safety and efficacy of synchronous cholecystectomy and open heart surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1999 and 2004, we performed synchronous cholecystectomy and open heart surgery in nine patients (group A) and open heart surgery alone in 1248 patients (group B). Open heart surgery was performed with open cholecystectomy (OC) in seven (77.7%) patients and with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in two (22.2%) patients. One patient with unstable angina and acute cholecystitis underwent simultaneous procedures. The indications for open heart surgery were coronary artery disease in eight (88.8%) patients and severe aortic stenosis in one (11.2%) patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group A, the mean number of bypass grafts performed was 2.5 +/- 0.5, the mean operative time was 348.4 min, and patients remained intubated for 25.7 +/- 6.7 h. The mean intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 4.1 +/- 1.6 days and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 19.2 +/- 5.7 days. There was a significant difference between the two groups in these two variables. No intra-abdominal complications or mediastinitis occurred in the immediate postoperative period in the setting of concomitant procedures and the mortality rate was zero.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Synchronous cholecystectomy and open heart surgery can be performed safely in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Charokopos
authors.forename: Polychronis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antonitsis
authors.forename: Constantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spanos
authors.forename: Efthymia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rouska
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spanos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome