Intra-Operative Abdominal Drain Placement for Gallbladder Cancer Surgery and Risk of Infectious Complications

Background: Routine intra-operative abdominal drain placement (IADP) is not beneficial for uncomplicated cholecystectomies though outcomes in gallbladder cancer surgery is unclear. This retrospective study hypothesized that patients with IADP (+IADP) for gallbladder cancer surgery have a higher risk of post-operative infectious complications (PIC) compared with patients without IADP (−IADP). Patients and Methods: The 2014–2017 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried for +IADP and −IADP patients who had gallbladder cancer surgery. Post-operative infectious complications were defined as septic shock, organ/space infection (OSI), or percutaneous drainage. Multivariable analyses were performed to analyze the associated risk of PIC. Results: Of 385 patients, 237 (61.6%) were +IADP. The +IADP patients had higher rates of post-operative bile leak, OSI, re-admission, and increased length of stay (p 0.05). Bile leak (odds ratio [OR], 10.61; p