Survival until 6 years after cholecystectomy: Female population of Denmark, 1977–1983

It has been a prevailing assumption that cholecystectomy patients by and large follow a pattern of survival similar to that of the normal population. This paper presents a population‐based study of the long‐term survival after cholecystectomy in order to reassess this assumption. Based on data available in the Danish National Hospital Register the records of all Danish women who were operated between 1977 and 1981 were examined and studied up to 6 years subsequent to surgery. Cholecystectomy patients who were free of diagnosed cancer and who had no major co‐surgery (n=11,123) were compared to both hysterectomy patients and a sample of the female population. Adjusting for age and other covariates, patients with psychiatric hospital admissions prior to surgery experienced a threefold risk of dying within 6 years after surgery. Patients with prior somatic admissions and patient with acute admissions had a relative risk (RR) of about 1.5. Cholecystectomy patients had a significantly increased mortality when compared to hysterectomy patients, RR=1.3 (1.1–1.6), and to the population sample. Heart diseases and cancer occurred significantly more often as causes of death among cholecystectomy patients when compared to hysterectomy patients, but our data suggest that the occurrence of many other causes of death may be increased among cholecystectomy patients as well. The authors concluded that cholecystectomy patients are subject to relatively higher levels of mortality than previously assumed in parts of the literature. Furthermore, the increase seems to be attributable to a multitude of causes of death. The most likely explanation of the excess mortality among cholecystectomy patients is that gallbladder patients are relatively fragile. Indeed, with this vulnerable group of patients the potential trauma of the surgical intervention itself needs careful consideration. Résumé On prétend que les patients cholécystectomisés ont, à la longue, une survie tout à fait similaire à celle de la population normale. Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude de population pour évaluer la survie à long terme après cholécystectomie. Les dossiers de toutes les femmes Danoises opérées entre 1977 et 1981 ont été analysés pour connaître leur état jusqu'à six ans après la chirurgie. On a comparé les patientes sans cancer et qui n'ont pas eu d'autres procédés de chirurgie majeure (n=11123) à celles qui ont eu une hystérectomie et à un échantillon issu d'une population féminine nor