Type of Surgery
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Last updated: 11/24/2009
Postoperative care for the patient who has had an open cholecystectomy, as with those who have had any major surgery, involves monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature. Breathing tends to be shallow because of the effect...
of anesthesia, and the patient's reluctance to breathe deeply due to the pain caused by the proximity of the incision to the muscles used for respiration. The patient is shown how to support the operative site when breathing deeply and coughing and is given pain medication as necessary. Fluid intake and output is measured, and the operative site is observed for color and amount of wound drainage. Fluids are given intravenously for 24–48 hours, until the patient's diet is gradually advanced as bowel activity resumes. The patient is generally encouraged to walk eight hours after surgery and discharged from the hospital within three to five days, with return to work approximately four to six weeks after the procedure.
Care received immediately after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is similar to that of any patient undergoing surgery with general anesthesia. A unique postoperative pain may be experienced in the right shoulder related to pressure from carbon dioxide used in the laparoscopic tubes. This pain may be relieved by lying down on the left side with right knee and thigh drawn up to the chest. Walking will also help increase the body's reabsorption of the gas. The patient is usually discharged the day after surgery and allowed to shower on the second postoperative day. The patient is advised to gradually resume normal activities over a three-day period, while avoiding heavy lifting for about 10 days.
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This video shows precisely what a surgeon sees during a laparoscopic cholescystectomy. A laparoscopic cholescystectomy is gallbladder removal surgery using small incisions and cameras rather than a large abdominal incision. This video may be difficult for some viewers since it shows surgery on actual human tissue.
In a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, four small incisions are made in the abdomen (A). The abdomen is filled with carbon dioxide, and the surgeon views internal structures with a video monitor (B). The gallbladder is located and cut with laparoscopic scissors (C). It is then removed through an incision (D). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Cholecystectomy (pronounced /ˌkɔləsɪsˈtɛktəmi/, plural: cholecystectomies) is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Despite the development of non-surgical techniques, it is the most common method for treating symptomatic gallstones, although there are other indications for the procedure, including carcinoma. Each year more than 500,000 Americans have gallbladder surgery. Surgery options include the standard procedure, called laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and an older more invasive procedure, called open cholecystectomy. A cholecystectomy is performed when attempts to treat gallstones with ultrasound to shatter the stones (lithotripsy) or medications to dissolve them have not proved feasible.
Other Information
In 2000, the estimated number of doctor visits and outpatient hospital visits by adults aged 20 or older with “calculus of kidney and ureters” as a listed diagnosis was of 2 million visits with urolithiasis as the primary diagnosis.
From: NKUDIC
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