Comparison of laparoscopic versus open cholecystectomy in patients with cardiac valve replacement.

To evaluate the benefits and safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in patients with cardiac valve replacement (which frequently leads to cholelithiasis), 12 patients with cholelithiasis associated with cardiac valve replacement were studied. The patients were divided into two groups, of 6 patients each, according to the type of operation performed, open cholecystectomy (OC) or LC. The postoperative course was monitored with respect to laboratory data on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, and 7. The mean duration of operation, blood loss, days to food resumption, length of hospital stay, and morbidity were compared between the two groups. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found between the OC and LC groups in white blood cell counts on POD 1 (12 980 +/- 3040/mm3 vs 8300 +/- 1590/mm3), days to food resumption (2.7 +/- 0.4 days vs 1.0 +/- 0.7 days), and length of postoperative stay (15.8 +/- 1.0 days vs 10.8 +/- 1.6 days). There were no complications in the LC group, but 1 patient in the OC group had heart failure postoperatively. Our findings indicate the efficacy and safety of LC in patients with cardiac valve replacement.