Postoperative infectious complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in high-risk patients

Although an increasing number of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) procedures have been performed each year since its introduction, little has been documented in regard to the infectious complications associated with this technique. In the most extensive evaluation to date, Myers et al. reported 18 infections (14 wound, 2 abscesses, 1 empyema, 1 pneumonia) following 1,518 LC operations (1.2%). Other reviews have placed the rate of postsurgical infection at 0- 3.3%. Early in the genesis of this procedure, high-risk patients were excluded. As physicians became more adept at this operation, fewer restrictions were encountered, and these patients soon were added into the patient base. The purpose of this article is to review the postsurgical infections associated with patients undergoing LC.