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.