How does infected bile affect the postoperative course of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the rate of infected bile in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to study the influence on the postoperative infective complications in this group of patients. METHODS: Bile samples of 247 patients undergoing LC were collected and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. All patients were given prophylactic antibiotics. RESULTS: The overall rate of infected bile was 12.8% (56 positive cultures); of these, 54 were aerobic and 2 anaerobic bacteria. Only 2 patients developed infection at the umbilical site, and in both, the bile was sterile. None of the patients with positive bile cultures developed any signs of infection during a mean follow-up period of 26 months. CONCLUSION: The overall rate of septic complications following LC is extremely low, and at least in our study no correlation was found between infected bile and septic complications.