We found no significant differences between different types of drains .
Drains increase the harms to the patient without providing any additional benefit for patients undergoing open cholecystectomy and should be avoided in open cholecystectomy
BACKGROUND Cholecystectomy is the removal of gallbladder and is performed mainly for symptomatic gallstones .
Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is currently preferred over open cholecystectomy for elective cholecystectomy , reports of r and omised clinical trials comparing the choice of cholecystectomy ( open or laparoscopic ) in acute cholecystitis are still being conducted .
Drainage in open cholecystectomy is a matter of considerable debate .
Surgeons use drains primarily to prevent subhepatic abscess or bile peritonitis from an undrained bile leak .
Critics of drain condemn drain use as it increases wound and chest infection .
OBJECTIVES To assess the benefits and harms of routine abdominal drainage in uncomplicated open cholecystectomy .
Cholecystectomy is safer without drainage: the results of a prospective, randomized clinical trial.
Drainage after cholecystectomy remains routine despite the lack of scientific supportive data . Numerous clinical studies in the past have attempted to address this controversy but have failed to resolve the issue for different reasons . These include retrospective design , inclusion of only selected cases , and r and omization before surgery . In this study 479 patients undergoing cholecystectomy  were r and omly allocated to a drainage group ( a high-pressure suction drain in Morison 's pouch for 48 hours ) or a nondrainage group . R and omization was performed at the time of peritoneal closure .  All patients undergoing cholecystectomy , both elective and urgent , were included and the operations were performed by all grade s of surgeons . There were two deaths from cardiopulmonary causes , both in the drainage group . No patient required reoperation in either group . The incidence of both wound infections ( 15 vs 5 ; p less than 0.05 ) and chest infections ( 56 vs 19 , p less than 0.02 ) was significantly higher in the drainage group . Three hundred fifty-six patients underwent abdominal ultrasonography 72 hours after surgery . The number of subhepatic fluid collection s thus detected was significantly higher in the patients who received a drain ( 17 vs 6 , p less than 0.05 ) . None of these collection s was clinical ly significant . The postoperative hospital stay was longer in the patients with drains ( 10.3 vs 9.1 days ) , but this difference failed to reach statistical significance . We conclude from this study that the use of a drain after cholecystectomy serves no useful purpose and is potentially harmful . This practice should be ab and oned
We found no significant differences between different types of drains .
Drains increase the harms to the patient without providing any additional benefit for patients undergoing open cholecystectomy and should be avoided in open cholecystectomy
BACKGROUND Cholecystectomy is the removal of gallbladder and is performed mainly for symptomatic gallstones .
Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is currently preferred over open cholecystectomy for elective cholecystectomy , reports of r and omised clinical trials comparing the choice of cholecystectomy ( open or laparoscopic ) in acute cholecystitis are still being conducted .
Drainage in open cholecystectomy is a matter of considerable debate .
Surgeons use drains primarily to prevent subhepatic abscess or bile peritonitis from an undrained bile leak .
Critics of drain condemn drain use as it increases wound and chest infection .
OBJECTIVES To assess the benefits and harms of routine abdominal drainage in uncomplicated open cholecystectomy .