Analysis of the SAGES outcomes initiative cholecystectomy registry

In 1999, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) introduced the SAGES Outcomes Initiative as a method for its members to use for tracking their own outcomes. This report provides a descriptive analysis of the cholecystectomy database.

The SAGES Outcome Initiative database was accessed for all gallbladder cases from September 1999 to February 2005. The data from the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative entries were summarized. These data are purely descriptive, and no statistical analysis was performed.

The gallbladder registry contained 3,285 cases, with 2,005 follow-up cases. Most patients were employed women with some comorbidities who had elective surgery under general anesthesia. Most of the operating surgeons were attending surgeons and surgical assistants. Most of the patients had biliary colic, and symptoms were improved for more than 95% of the patients. More than 90% of the cases were managed laparoscopically, with a conversion rate of 3%. Biliary imaging was used in the vast majority of cases, with most shown to be normal. Intraoperative gallbladder perforation was common, with bile duct injury occurring in 0.25% of cases. The most frequently cited postoperative event was wound infection, with most complications classified as class 1. More than 95% of the patients were able to return to work.

The SAGES Outcomes Initiative database demonstrates that most participating SAGES members perform laparoscopic cholecystectomies themselves using intraoperative cholangiograms. Adverse outcomes are few, with most patients able to return to normal activity. Importantly, there were relatively few missing data points, implying that when surgeons enter data, the information is relatively complete.