[Cholecystectomy in high risk patients. A comparison between conventional and laparoscopic procedures]

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy offers many advantages, but cardiopulmonary impaired patients may be endangered by the haemodynamic and respiratory effects of the pneumoperitoneum. Between June 1990 and December 1995, laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed on 19 high-risk patients (ASA IV) and conventional cholecystectomies on 26 patients with the same operative risk (ASA IV). Out of 45 patients, 5 (11.1%) suffered intraoperative cardiopulmonal complications. Three belonged to the group with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (15.8%) and two to the group with open laparotomy (7.7%). General postoperative complications occurred in 15 cases (33.3%), whereby patients of the conventional cholecystectomy group were concerned more often [46.2% (n = 12) versus 15.8% (n = 3), P = 0.03]. The number of days spent in hospital after open cholecystectomy was higher (P = 0.01) (11.6 +/- 5.6 days in the laparotomy group versus 7.6 +/- 5.0 days in the laparoscopy group). The classification as a high-risk patient indicates an elevation of the perioperative rate of complications in laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy, whereby the rate of postoperative complications is lower in the laparoscopic group.