[Antibiotic prophylaxis in cholecystectomy--necessary and cost saving?].

The effectiveness of antimicrobial prophylaxis was evaluated on the basis of data collected in a study on quality management carried out in 28 East German hospitals, involving 4477 laparoscopic and conventional cholecystectomies (197 of which with revision of the common bile duct). In 3128 patients a laparoscopic procedure (with consecutive conversion to an open cholecystectomy in 236 cases) and in 1349 patients a primarily conventional open cholecystectomy had been performed (a total of 2217 cases with and 2260 cases without antibiotic cover). The results obtained were significantly better in the group receiving prophylaxis than in patients not under antimicrobial cover. This applied to septic wound healing disorders, general and specific postoperative complications, postoperative chest infections, re-operations and postoperative lethality. On the basis of these results, it is strongly recommended that, in the future, neither laparoscopic nor open conventional cholecystectomy should be carried out without proper perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis-this all the more so since such measures also result in a shorter hospital stay and thus reduced costs.