Drainage versus no drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A prospective randomized study

Abstract

Background: Patients with gallstone disease are often treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). In surgical procedures, the decision to drain has always been contentious. Objectives: Examining the effects of postoperative abdominal drainage vs no drainage after LC on pain, fever, collection and length of stay in the hospital. Subjects and Methods: This prospective research involved 40 cases aged from 5 to 60 years with symptomatic gall bladder (GB) stones and indicated for elective LC. Individuals were randomly separated into two equal groups by the sealed envelope method. Each group comprised 20 patients: Group A: Abdominal drainage was done routinely and Group B: No abdominal drainage. Results: In terms of visual analogue score (VAS) pain score, cosmetic outcomes, length of hospital stay and postoperative data, there were significant variations among the groups analysed. There was significant variation among the groups concerning length of hospital stay and postoperative data. There is a significant positive correlation as regard to multi-variant analysis of multiple factors in correlation to each other, pain score, cosmetic results, length of hospital stay and time of drain removal between the groups. Conclusion: Preventive drainage after non-complicated LC does not significantly improve outcomes and increase the risk of wound infection and the length of time patients spend in the hospital after surgery. Therefore, drain placement after LC should be reserved for very challenging situations.