Routine bile cultures during elective cholecystectomy

Abstract

To assess antibiotic usage and the value of routine intraoperative bile cultures, we retrospectively reviewed 79 patients who had elective cholecystectomy from January to December 1986. Forty patients (57%) received perioperative antibiotics, and 15 (19%) had positive intraoperative bile cultures. During follow-up, the only septic complications identified were wound infections in two patients (3%); one of them had received antibiotics and one had not. Each bile culture cost $60 to $80, and the cultures were not clinically useful. In the absence of risk factors associated with positive bile cultures, the incidence of wound infections or septic complications after cholecystectomy is low. We conclude that routine intraoperative bile cultures and prophylactic antibiotics are not indicated for elective cholecystectomy in low-risk patients.