The Impact of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on 30-Day Readmission Rate for Acute Cholangitis Patients: A Single-Center Study

Objectives: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) following acute gallstone cholangitis reduces the recurrence of biliary symptoms; however, the timing of LC has not been determined yet. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of performing LC during admission on the 30-day readmission rate. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of acute gallstone cholangitis patients who underwent endoscopic clearance (EC) of the bile duct through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography between April 2013 and May 2018. Patients were classified into two groups: EC only group and EC followed by LC during admission (EC + LC) group. The primary outcome was the 30-day readmission rate. Results: A total of 95 patients with acute cholangitis were included in the analysis. Of these patients, 35 patients (36.8%) underwent LC during admission. The 30-day readmission rate was significantly lower in the EC + LC group compared to the EC group (2.9% vs. 26.7%, P 0.003). In a multivariate regression analysis, patients who underwent LC during admission had 90% lower odds of readmission within 30 days compared to patients who did not (OR 0.1, 95% CI (0.01–0.9), P 0.04). Conclusions: Performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy during admission for acute gallstone cholangitis patients following endoscopic clearance of the bile duct significantly reduced the 30-day readmission rate without affecting the length of stay.