Outcome of Emergency Cholecystectomy at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Emergency cholecystectomy is the standard treatment for acute cholecystitis worldwide. However, in Ethiopia, it's only performed in a limited number of healthcare facilities, despite its recognition as the preferred treatment by many physicians. To date, there is no study examining the prevalence and outcomes of emergency cholecystectomy in Ethiopia. In our setting, this practice is relatively new, and its outcomes remain unstudied. Purpose: To assess the trends and outcome of emergency cholecystectomy at Yekatit 12 hospital medical college. Method: We employed a longitudinal study design, encompassing all patients who underwent emergency cholecystectomy throughout the study period. Data entry and analysis were conducted using SPSS statistical software version 25. Qualitative variables were depicted in frequencies and percentages, while continuous variables were summarized with mean and standard deviation (SD). Binary logistic regression was applied to evaluate the impact of independent variables on the outcome variable. A significance level of p < 0.05 was taken for statistical significance. Result: Between January 2022 and December 2023, 68 emergency cholecystectomies were performed. Females comprised 60.3% of the cases, with a mean age of 42.43 ± 14.03 years. Surgery for 44.1% of patients occurred between days 4 and 7 after symptom onset, while five patients underwent surgery after 10 days. The mean duration of surgery was 63.9 ± 17.14 minutes. Hospital stays ranged from 2 to 12 days, with a mean of 4.4 ± 2.47 days. Serum creatinine levels exceeding 1 mg/dl (p=0.004) were significantly linked to poor outcomes.