Developing clinical indicators for cholecystectomy

This study sets out to develop a set of clinical indicators for the frequently performed procedure, simple cholecystectomy. Four hundred consecutive cases of cholecystectomy were reviewed retrospectively and data were collected regarding the pre-operative condition of the patient as well as any postoperative complications. From this database a set of clinical indicators for simple cholecystectomy are recommended: wound infection rate 4.5%, re-operation or performance of another therapeutic procedure 3.5%, length of stay 7 days, and mortality < 0.025%. These threshold figures are to serve only as a 'flag' to possible problems.